I concluded several years ago that Carolina folks do not know their
Marsilea taxonomy. I thought that the hairy ones were from Marsilea
vestita, but since I have not seen whole plants, ID from just a sporocarp
is a bit questionable. Marsilea quadrifolia, according to the new Flora
North America, has pubescent sporocarps that are soon glabrate, but then
M. vestita is likewise described that way. Marsilea macropoda has matted
or twisted hairs on the sporocarp and might be what they are getting. I
think that perhaps the sporocarps also are not mature when collected. It
is interesting that in Flora North America, no species is native to the
Carolinas.
I too am struggling to find a new source for these wonderful sporocarps.
Janice
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Janice M. Glime, Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
jmglime at mtu.edu
906-487-2546
FAX 906-487-3167
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