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Bigfoot Waterclover

Marsilea macropoda

Other common name(s):

Water Clover, Clover Fern, Largefoot Pepperwort

Family:

Marsileaceae ((Water Clover Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

East Central Texas Plains, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Southern Post Oak Savanna
Coastal Sand Plain, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Northern Blackland Prairie

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Wetland

Height

.25
to
1
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Poor Drainage, Mud

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade, Shade

Water Requirement

Medium, High

Native Habitat

Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

No Bloom

Bloom Season

No Bloom

Seasonal Interest

Unknown

Wildlife Benefit

Unknown

Maintenance

Native habitat, in swamps, marshes, woodland bogs, ditches, streams, and on the edge of ponds and lakes. Needs less water when it grows in more shade. Spreads easily; thin or cut back as necessary. Can be used as a groundcover. Good for wetland gardens and habitats. Set up a pond or a water collection tank near a downspout to supplement water. Propagation: Root division.

Comments

Clover-shaped leaves. It is a robust perennial which forms large mats in wet sands and mud. This is a spore-producing plant and is thus more closely allied with the ferns than with perennial forbs. Dies back during severe winters. Colonizes by rhizomes.

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAMA9; 2) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=17993#null; 3) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=14850&locationType=County&mapType=Normal; 4) https://www.austintexas.gov/department/grow-green/plant-guide/clover-fern

Get in Touch

Contact the State

Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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