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Water Clover
Marsilea quadrifolia
デンジソウ
A fern found in rice paddies and wetlands throughout Japan. Its distinctive four leaflets arranged like a four-leaf clover are characteristic. Traditionally a symbolic plant of paddy fields, it has declined sharply due to widespread herbicide use and is designated as endangered in many regions.
Identification Points
- ✓Four leaflets arranged in a clover-like pattern
- ✓A fern growing in rice paddies and shallow waterside habitats
- ✓Sporocarps (bean-like structures) borne at the base of the petiole
Habitat
Rice paddies, shallow wetlands, and pond margins
Season
Spring–Autumn (fronds)
3D Specimen Model
Kyushu University, Shikano Lab (CC0)
View on Sketchfab→Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Herb
Habitat
Aquatic
Phylogenetic Positionデンジソウ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Vascular plants > Polypodiophyta > Polypodiopsida > Salviniales > Marsileaceae
Divergence Era
Cretaceous (ca. 100 million years ago–)
Evolution Notes
Marsileaceae is a lineage of aquatic ferns that evolved heterospory (megaspores and microspores). It retains the fern-typical reproductive mode where sperm swim through water to achieve fertilization.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification