140 The Nardoo Plant 



quadrifolia. This variety was originally found in India, 

 but is also not rare with us. As Australian species, we find 

 further enumerated Sir William Hooker's Marsilea mac- 

 ropus, a name altered by Professor Alexander Braun into 

 Marsilea Drummondi (Linnsea xxv. 721), the designation 

 being preoccupied by Professor Eugelmann for a West 

 American plant. Another species simultaneously mentioned 

 by Professor Braun, and to which the name of the author of 

 this paper was given, proves equally untenable. It would 

 appear that the distinctions of all these assumed species are 

 drawn from no other points but external form, size, and in- 

 dument ; and having seen endless transitions from one to 

 the other, I cannot but maintain, that alike to at least some 

 of the extra Australian Marsilese, these are all representing 

 forms only of one species, widely distributed over the 

 warmer temperate and tropical parts of the globe, extend- 

 ing from near the middle of Europe to South Africa, and 

 Middle and ^ South Asia, thence throughout Australia 

 (although seemingly not advancing to Tasmania and New 

 Zealand), and occurring likewise from the southern parts of 

 North America, at least as far south as the Brazils. The 

 supposition of the specific identity of all these plants is 

 considerably strengthened by the well-known fact that many 

 aquatic plants are truly cosmopolitan. 



The nutritive properties of the Marsilea fruit are evidently 

 very scanty. It seems to contain but slight traces of protein 

 combinations and but little starch, its nourishing property 

 resting mainly on a mucilage, pertaining to a certain 

 extent of that of the seed-testa of flax, cress, quince, 

 zygophyllum, &c. 



Before I finally proceed to the translation of Dr. Han- 

 stein's Physiological Notes, I would beg to observe, that to 

 Dr. Beckler the credit is due of having pointed out, first of all, 

 when releasing Lyons and Macpherson from their perilous 

 position, that the Marsilea fruit formed part of the food of 

 some of the aboriginal inland tribes, the use of the plant 

 having providentially been communicated to Lyons and his 

 companion by the natives. Previously we were not aware of 

 the economical utility of this kind of fern. The Marsilea 

 may not inappropriately receive the vernacular name, clover 

 fern, its foliage (although consisting always of quaternate leaf- 

 lets) and its habit bearing considerable resemblance to 

 several species of trefoil. 



