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Variegated Water Clover

Marsilea mutica (mar-SIL-ee-uh mu-tee-ka vair-ee-ah-GAY-ta)

Family: Marsileaceae Unknown Groundcover (<1 ft)

The foliage on this specimen resembles a four-leaf clover but has a red to brown arching stripe on the leaves. It is a highly aggressive water plant that spreads by vigorous rhizomes and grows in moist soil or shallow water up to 3' deep. Place it in full sun to partial shade. It likes wet feet so plant it in a water garden or pond, or use it in a rain or cottage style garden. To manage the spread, plant in a 1-gallon container.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 37 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Water Plant
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 4 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Horizontal
Leaf color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Obovate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are shaped like a four-leaf clover and are greenish-yellow to brown patterned leaves which usually float on the water surface.
Flower detail
Grown for foliage
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
North & Eastern Australia, New Caledonia
Distribution
Naturalized in North America
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Rain Garden; Water Garden
Garden tags
#showy leaves #clover leaves #high maintenance #interesting leaves #cottage garden #fast growing #aggressive #container plant #wet soils intolerant #wet soils tolerant #water garden #boggy sites #weedy
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Weedy
Resistant to
Wet Soil

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.