Marsilea quadrifolia is a fern that prefers aquatic habitats with still or slow-moving water. It may be grown in damp conditions at the side of the pond as a marginal, or in deeper areas of the pond as an oxygenator. Long petioles (20cm/8") grow from the stalks, and at the end of each petiole is a 4-parted leaf, resembling a clover. This plant may be grown in the shallow pond margins, where the emergent growth will be more upright, or it can be totally submerged - except for the leaves " in deeper areas. Pot up into pond baskets containing aquatic soil and top with a layer of pea gravel to stop the planting medium from clouding the water. Place no deeper than 20cm (8") below the water, in an area that receives full sun or partial shade. The leaves will often turn a beautiful bronze colour when the plants receive a good deal of bright sunshine. Propagated by splitting of the runners and replanting them, or from the sporocarps that the plant produces. Sporocarps are a specialised structure found in some species of fern, which produce and release spores. This is quite an elaborate structure in M. quadrifolia, formed from an entire leaf whose development and form is greatly modified into a hairy, bean-shaped structure (just 3-8mm in diameter) with a hardened outer covering, and borne on a short stalk. Each growing season, only one sporocarp develops per node, along the rhizome near the base of the other leaf stalks. The outer covering of the sporocarp is very tough, allowing the spores inside to survive harsh conditions. However, despite this toughness, many of the sporocarps will open readily in water if conditions are favourable. Others may require help in the form of gentle abrasion followed by immersion in water, which should cause the sporocarps to swell and then burst, releasing the spores. Germination is infrared-light dependent, and full, bright sunlight is sufficient for the purpose.
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