''Marsilea drummondii'' is a species of

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

known by the common name nardoo. It is native to Australia, where it is widespread and common, particularly in inland regions. It is a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

perennial

aquatic fern The order Salviniales (formerly known as the Hydropteridales and including the former Marsileales) is an order of ferns in the class Polypodiopsida. Description Salviniales are all aquatic and differ from all other ferns in being heterosporous, ...

that roots in mud substrates and produces herbage that floats on the surface of quiet water bodies. It occurs in water up to one metre deep.''Marsilea drummondii''.

ANBG The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is a heritage-listed botanical garden located in , Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Established in 1949, the Gardens is administered by the Australian Government's Departme ...

. It occurs in abundance after

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

s.Thomas, A
Nardoo, the desert fern.
ABC Science. March 8, 2007 It can form mats on the water's surface and cover the ground in carpets as floodwaters recede. It is variable in appearance and occurs in many types of wetland habitat. In general the frond is made up of two pairs of leaflets and is borne erect when not floating. The plant produces sporocarps which can remain viable for 50 years and only release spores after being thoroughly soaked. The sporocarps are dispersed by birds that eat them but cannot digest them, and by flowing water. The sporocarp is used for food by

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...

, who collect, roast and grind them to powder which they mix with water to make a

dough Dough is a malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from flour (which itself is made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops). Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes ...

.Perumal, G. (2010)
Ethnomedicinal use of pteridophyte from Kolli Hills, Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu, India.
''Ethnobotanical Leaflets'' 14 161. The sporocarp can be toxic due to high levels of

thiaminase Thiaminase is an enzyme that metabolizes or breaks down thiamine into pyrimidine and thiazole. It is an antinutrient when consumed. The old name was "aneurinase". There are two types with different Enzyme Commission numbers: * Thiamine pyridi ...

, which destroys

thiamine Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin – an Nutrient#Micronutrients, essential micronutrient for humans and animals. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosp ...

. Consumption of large amounts can cause

beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The name beriberi was possibly borrowed in the 18th century from the Sinhalese phrase (bæri bæri, “I canno ...

. It has been known to poison

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

, as well as humans, including the leaders of the

Burke and Wills expedition The Burke and Wills expedition (originally called the Victorian Exploring Expedition) was an exploration expedition organised by the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) in Australia in 1860–61. The exploration party initially consisted of ninet ...

.Earl, J. W. and B. V. McCleary. (1994)
Mystery of the poisoned expedition.
''Nature'' 368 683–4. Nardoo must be prepared properly using heat before consumption to destroy the thiaminase.

Earliest Australian record

The earliest specimen in an Australian herbarium is ''

MEL Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

0052999A'', which was collected by

Alan Cunningham Sir Alan Gordon Cunningham, (1 May 1887 – 30 January 1983), was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the British Army noted for his victories over Italian forces in the East African Campaign (World War II), East African Campaign duri ...

in 1825 in the

Brigalow Belt South The Brigalow Belt is a wide band of acacia-wooded grassland that runs between tropical rainforest of the coast and the semi-arid interior of Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia. The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Aus ...

region out of

Gunnedah Gunnedah () is a town in north-central New South Wales, Australia and is the seat of the Gunnedah Shire Local government in Australia, local government area. In the the town recorded a population of 8,338. Gunnedah is situated within the Liver ...

in the locality of Curlewis.Australasian Virtual Herbarium Record: MEL 0052999A
Retrieved 10 November 2018.

Gallery

File:Marsilea drummondii cropped.jpg File:Marsilea drummondii.jpg File:Marsilea leaves.jpg File:Marsilea prothallus.jpg File:MarsileaDrummondii.JPG File:Marsilea leaf and fiddlehead.jpg

References

External links

Australasian Virtual Herbarium: Occurrence data for ''Marsilea drummondii''
{{Authority control drummondii Flora of Australia Bushfood Taxa named by Alexander Braun