200 THE MARSILIAS. 



The sporocarps are smaller than those of Marsilia 

 jtiicinata, but larger than those of JMarsilia quadrifolia. 

 They probabU" average a little less than a quarter of an 

 inch long. They are borne on peduncles so short as to 

 appear sessile or nearly so, and are densely covered with 

 the fine whitish hairs found on other parts of the plant. 

 The lower tooth of the sporocarp is short and blunt; the 

 other is slightly longer and curved. 



Marsilia vcstit a \?, found from Dakota and Washington 

 to Texas and California. Southward it extends into 

 Mexico. It has been reported as naturalised in central 

 Florida, and according to Baker it is found in British 

 Columbia also. Mr. A. A. Eaton notes that in the San 

 Joaquin Valley, California, it is called " horse-clover " 

 and is greedily eaten by horses. Prof. C. E. Bessey, how- 

 ever, reports^ in the Fern Bulletin that it is becoming a 

 weed in several wet meadows in Nebraslca. Campbell 

 asserts that it is an annual, but upon this point more 

 notes are desirable. Mr. Eaton is of the opinion that 

 while the leaves may die the rootstock does not. Like an 

 exotic species, Marsilia liirsnta, it is said occasionally to 

 bear tuber-like bodies on the ends of certain branches of 

 the rootstock, which under proper conditions may pro- 

 duce new plants. 



Marsilia JVLacropoda. 



The species called Marsilia macropoda is like Marsilia 

 vestita in being more or less hairy, but it has a longer 

 rootstock, much larger leaves, and sporocarps that are 

 borne in clusters of from two to four instead of 

 singly. It also probably lives longer than Marsilia 

 vestita. 



