Marsilea cryptocarpa
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Location & distribution maps
Location & distribution maps
Phylogeny & links to associated information
Phylogeny & links to associated information
Wikipedia links: Monilophytes > Salviniales > Marsileaceae > Marsilea cryptocarpa
Other links: https://data.environment.sa.gov.au/Content/Publications/JABG22P001_Albrecht.pdf
Species: M drummondii, M costulifera
Plant information
Plant information
Common name: ,,,
Conservation status: ...
Conservation status. Although the species could be regarded as threatened on the basis of the limited population numbers, the lack of focused field survey in areas of potentially suitable habitat and its close superficial resemblance to infertile specimens of
Marsilea drummondii would suggest that ‘DD’ (data deficient) sensu IUCN (2001) or nationally poorly known (3K) sensu ROTAP (Briggs & Leigh 1996) is the appropriate conservation code. Based on present knowledge the species is unreserved.
Etymology:
Honours Italian naturalist Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (1656–1730)
The specific epithet is derived from the Greek crypto-, covered, hidden, concealed and -carpos, fruit; referring to the hidden sporocarps characteristic of this species
Notes. Marsilea cryptocarpa is distinguished from other
Australian species of Marsilea by the dense clusters
of small (to 3 mm long) short-stalked conceptacles
that have at most one poorly developed basal tooth
and are covered in dense long cottony hairs. The hairs
on adjacent sporocarps become entanged to such an
extent that individual sporocarps in a cluster are not
distinguishable without microscopic examination. It
is for this reason that fertile specimens are frequently
passed over as being sterile
Spores:
Leaves:
Perennial fern with ventrally attached filiform snow
white (aging fawn or yellowish) hairs over most parts,
hairs slightly dilated towards attachment. Rhizome
long-creeping, branched, rooting at the nodes, initially
densely hairy becoming sparsely hairy or glabrous later;
hairs 3–7 mm long. Fronds usually clustered. Stipe
stout, to c. 20 cm long, 0.8–1.3 mm diameter, initially densely cottony hairy with hairs 1.5–7 mm long, those
towards base of stipe longest, sometimes glabrescent.
Leaflets obdeltoid, pulvinate, 8–35 mm long, 8–35 mm
wide, flanks straight, outer margins rounded, crenate,
sometimes deeply so, initially villose on under surface
with mostly ascending hairs c. 0.8–1.5 mm long forming
a thick indumentum, sparsely to moderately densely
hairy on the upper surface with hairs appressed to
ascending, c. 0.5–1 mm long, later leaflets glabrous on
both surfaces or hairy in patches on under surface, green
finally turning orange-brown from the margin inward;
venation obscure except in older dried leaves, veins
close, anastomosing. Sporocarps closely packed together
and enveloped by dense cottony hairs to such an extent
that individual sporocarps are difficult to discern, 6–12
in a row on one side of the stipe base; stalks yellowishbrown, simple or sometimes two arising from the same
point and appearing branched, 1–2 (–3) mm long, fine
and c. 0.2 mm wide at midpoint, broader towards base,
hairy to almost glabrous, shorter than or rarely equal
to the conceptacle, rather fragile and readily breaking;
conceptacle subrectangular to obtusely triangular in
lateral view, oblong-narrow elliptic in dorsiventral
cross-section, dorsally slightly convex to almost flat,
ventrally curved, 2–3 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, densely
and persistently cottony hairy with hairs 3–6 mm long;
lateral ribs obscure or faint beneath hairs, minute pits
on surface apparently absent; raphe distinct, attached
along c. three-quarters the length of the conceptacle
base; inferior (lower) tooth absent or rarely represented
by a slight protuberance; superior (upper) tooth absent
or obscure and represented by a yellowish-orange
protuberance where the basal and dorsal sides of the
conceptacle meet. Megasporangia 2–5 per sporocarp,
oval, c. 1-1.2 x 0.6-0.9 mm, white, apical cap brown;
embedded in mucilage containing numerous small
microsporangia.
Stem & branches:
Roots:
Habit:
Habitat:
Distribution:
Distribution and habitat. Marsilea cryptocarpa is
currently known from only three widely separated sites
(see Fig. 5). Two occur in the Northern Territory: one
approximately 300 km north of Alice Springs and the
other approximately 280 km ESE of Alice Springs. The
only known South Australian population is in the Lake
Eyre region some 1000 km to the south-southeast of the
northern-most Northern Territory population. Due to its
superficial resemblance to some forms of the widely
distributed Marsilea drummondi A.Braun, the species
may have been overlooked and be more common than
might appear, especially if growing sympatrically with
other species with obvious sporocarps which would be
collected in preference to an apparently ‘vegetative’
plant.
At the type locality in the Northern Territory
Marsilea cryptocarpa is localised in clay depressions
on an open stony plain, where it forms monospecific
patches, one of which is approximately 1 km by 200
m. The clay depressions are periodically water-filled
and have a distinctive smooth cracking chocolate-like
surface texture when dry. The type locality is within the
Burt Plain bioregion (Albrecht et al., 2007) and habitat
of this nature appears to be very rare in that bioregion.
The other Northern Territory population occurs in the
Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefield bioregion (Albrecht et
al., 2007), which would appear to have more areas of
suitable habitat. The South Australian population appears
to occur in a similar habitat to the Northern Territory
populations, being described as a muddy pool on a
gibber plain (plain mantled by loose rock fragments).
Additional notes:
Sources of information:
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