The Marsilea strigosa is really a fern, although it does not look much like it. The leaves are divided into four leaflets as if they were a four-leaf clover.
It lives in temporary ponds, rooted in sediment at the bottom, but with the leaves floating on the surface. It can sometimes be found in dry places because the pond has dried up but it is very sensitive to the alteration and contamination of the seasonal Mediterranean temporary pools where it inhabits.
The name honours Italian naturalist Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (1656–1730).
It is another of the endangered plants, and you can see here the illustration of Paula Leiva-Granger that will appear in the book.
