Marsilea crenata C.Presl, Marsileaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Habit:  aquatic fern

Description:  "Rhizome much-branched, scaly towards the tips. Fronds 1-20 cm long, solitary or clustered. Stipes glabrous or sparsely scaly. Leaflets broadly obovate to broadly cuneate, 10-25 mm long, 3-8 mm wide, glabrous or sparsely scaly; outer margin rounded, entire to deeply crenate. Sporocarps clustered; stalks 1-3 mm long, unbranched, glabrous to sparsely scaly; conceptacles 2-3 mm long, scaly, not ribbed; upper surface convex; upper basal tooth long and spine-like; lower basal tooth short, obtuse"  (Flora of Australia online).

Habitat/ecology:  Grows in shallow freshwater and in drying mud and is often found growing in rice paddies and, in Hawai‘i (O‘ahu), in taro patches  (Wilson, 2003; p. 5).

Propagation:  Spores or rhizomes

Native range:  Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia  (Wilson, 2003; p. 5).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wilson, Kenneth A. (2003) (pp. 5-6) Voucher cited: D. Palmer 2275 (BISH)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Marsilea crenata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Marsilea crenata as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Marsilea crenata may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2011. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wilson, Kenneth A. 2003. New records of alien pteridophytes for Hawai‘i. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 74:5-7.