Marsilea polycarpa Hook. & Grev.

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Smith, Alan R. 2004. The pteridophytes of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 88: 1-1054.

  • Family

    Marsileaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Marsilea polycarpa Hook. & Grev.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Main rhizomes green to black, with nodal and internodal roots, 0.5–3 mm diam., internodes 0.8–15+ cm long, apices with sparse to dense, tan hairs, glabrate proximally; land fronds 3–15 cm long, stipes usually channeled, glabrous or glabrate, leaflets flabellate, 0.6–3 x 0.5–3 cm, glabrous to moderately hairy, lateral margins slightly concave to straight, distal margin rounded; floating leaves 6–28 cm long, stipes terete, glabrous, leaflets 2.4–4 x 1.9–3.5 cm, lateral margins straight to slightly convex; abaxial intercostal striae often present and uniformly distributed; fertile leaves on land, rarely on floating plants, bearing 4–26 sporocarps in a single row on unbranched, recurved peduncles, on proximal 1/2 of stipes and beginning 0.5–4 cm above stipe bases; sporocarps round to ovate in lateral view, without conspicuous lateral ribs, villous, eventually glabrate, brown, 2–2.6 x 1.6–2 mm, 1.7–1.9 mm thick, raphe and teeth absent.

  • Discussion

    Zaluzianskia polycarpa (Hook. & Grev.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 823. 1891. Lectotype (chosen by Johnson, 1986: 44). Guyana. Demerara, Parker s.n. (K!; isolectotype K). Marsilea polycarpa Hook. & Grev. var. mexicana A. Braun, Monatsber. Ko¨nigl. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1870: 713. 1871. Type. Mexico. [Veracruz?:] Mesachica, Schiede 836 (B!; isotype G).

    Unverified, Doubtful, or Mistaken Reports. Gro (Fonseca & Vela ´zquez 1282, FCME, ENCB, cited by Pe´rez-Garci´a et al., 1999, but not verified; also cited by Lozada, 1994, but not verified). Tab (Cowan 1593, CAS, PH; Ca´lix de Dios & Castillo 488, CSAT, and Orozco & Cowan 2953, CAS, cited by Pe´rez-Garci´a et al., 1999, but not verified). Ver (Liebmann 2189 BM, C; Schiede 836, B, G). Marsilea polycarpa is distinctive in its numerous, small sporocarps borne in a single row on the stipes and the lack of raphe and teeth on the sporocarps. Marsilea crotophora (q.v.) has a similar number and attachment of sporocarps, but the sporocarps are larger and the distalmost sporocarp is above the midpoint of the stipe. In sterile condition, M. polycarpa can be distinguished from M. deflexa by the former having abaxial intercostal striae all the way to the pulvinus and the tendency to have floating rather than submerged rooted rhizomes.

  • Distribution

    Forming diffuse colonies on mud or on floating vegetation, edges of marshes, ponds and seasonal lakes on clay substrates of subacid to neutral pH. 0–100 m. Mexico; Guat, Hond, Nic, CR, Pan; Gr Ant, Dominica; Col, Ven, Trin, Guy, Sur, Ec, Braz; Society Isl.

    Brazil South America| Ecuador South America| Suriname South America| Guyana South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Venezuela South America| Dominica South America| Panama Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Honduras Central America| Guatemala Central America| México Mexico North America|