Prats 68. 
MARSILEA macrorvs, Hook. 
Longstalk-fruited Marsilea, or Nardoo. 
MARSILEA macropus ; leaves peltate, quaternate, and, as well as the elongated 
petioles, sericeo-tomentose ; leaflets broad-cuneate, crose at the apex; pe- 
duncles subradical, elongated, two inches long; capsules obliquely ovate, 
densely and obliquely sericeo-strigose, transversely but obliquely more or 
less distinctly marked with lines, and gibbous at the base on one side; 
caudex creeping, branched. 
Marsiuea macropus. Zook. Ic. Plant. v. 10. ¢. 909 (or Cent. of Ferns, é. 9). 
MarsiLea quadrifolia, Z., var. hirsuta, 7. Mueller, in Herd. nostr. 
Has. Australia, in low inundated grounds: Lachlan River and Liverpool Plains, 
All. Cunningham ; Severn River, 8. W. Australia, Win. Drummond ; Darling 
River, Darlachy, and Goodwin, Dr. F. Mueller. Probably common in the 
interior of Australia, where it supplies, in its small nut-like capsules, an 
article of food to the miserable natives under the name of Nardoo.—Not 
yet introduced alive to our European gardens.* 
We propose devoting the last two Plates of this Work, now 
brought to a close with the sixteenth number, to two Ferns of 
some interest, although neither is as yet known in any gardens. 
The subject of our present Plate is a near ally of a well-known 
South-European plant, the Marsilea quadrifolia, Linn. Of the 
venus we have no species native of Britain, but we possess one 
which belongs to the same group or family, namely, our well- 
known Pillwort or Pepperwort (Pilularia globulifera, Livn.), 
lately figured in our ‘ British Ferns,’ t. 37. The J. quadrt- 
folia has long been in cultivation in tanks in our gardens; and 
M. macropus is readily distinguished by its larger size and the 
remarkably long stalk to the compressed and obliquely-striated, 
densely villous fruits. The fruits of this singular plant constitute 
the Wardoo of the Aborigines of Australia. There are few that 
have not read the account of the recent Central Exploring Party 
under Mr. Burke, formed for traversing Australia from Mel- 
bourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. The great feat has been ac- 
complished, but it has been attended by a loss of life of five out 
of cleven persons forming the staff. Could they have provided 
%* Since the above was printed, I am informed by my friend Professor Arnott, 
that young plants have been raised in a tank in the Glasgow Botanic Garden. 
APRIL lst, 1862. 
