Ceratopteris thalictroides
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Species name: Ceratopteris thalictroides
Ceratopteris species are aquatic pteridophytic ferns, generally found in tropical regions. They require a warm climate and lots of water. Two species - C. pteridoides and C. thalictroides are found in India. C. thalictroides or watersprite is used as an ornamental plant in aquariums. It is also cultivated as a vegetable for including in salads, due to its several curly leaves.
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- Species identity and nomenclature
- Current Wikipedia entry
- Binomial Classification
- Morphological features
- Habitat and Geographical Spread
- Maps
- Medicinal Importance
- Cultural significance
- Commercial importance and cultivation
- Summary of PubMed articles
- Summary of NCBI molecular data
- External Links
- Images and Videos
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Names of users who have contributed to this species page | Gauravm | |
| Date on which this page was first created | 2010/08/21 | |
| This page was last modified on: | 6 September 2010 15:09:44 | |
| Name of the species | Ceratopteris thalictroides | |
| ID on Encyclopedia of Life | ||
| Synonyms | Please check Binomial Classification section for synonyms. | |
| Common English Names | Water sprite, Indian fern, Water fern, Oriental waterfern, Water hornfern | |
| Common Hindi Names | ||
| Common Indian names | Panirkarela (Misc) | Sasya Sampada |
| Origins/Meanings of the common names |
Taxonomy from Encyclopedia of Life
If nothing is displayed in this section, it means the EoL ID has not been defined. Please click on Edit with form button on top and follow the instructions for filling in the EoL ID
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Taxonomy filled in form
Click here for the PDF of the phylogeny
| Taxon | Value |
|---|---|
| Regnum (Kingdom) | Plantae |
| Division | Pteridophyta |
| Class | Filicopsida |
| Order | Polypodiales |
| Family | Parkeriaceae |
| Genus | Ceratopteris |
| Source of data | Encyclopedia of Life |
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Based on classification
More details can be found in the Binomial Classification section.
Morphology from Encyclopedia of Life
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General morphology
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| General morphological features of the plant | Plants usually rooted in mud, very variable in size and appearance, scales on rhizome peltate, thin , translucent, pale brown, (under a lens clear with dark cell walls) stipes 3 – 15 mm diameter in mature plants, spongy and air filled, sterile fronds pale green, thin, flaccid and spreading, 4 – 60 cm long, including a stipe c. half this length, fertile fronds pale green, to brown when over mature, firm, held erect, 15 – 100 cm or more long, including stipe to 40 cm long, proliferous or dormant buds with overlapping dark scales sometimes present in the axils of fertile pinnae (twice seen), sterile axes obviously winged, pinnae basically broad-ovate or deltoid with a few blunt lobes, sometimes more deeply incised, the segments 2 - 15 x 10 – 30 mm, fertile segments linear, 1 - 2 x 10 – 80 mm."Plants usually rooted in mud, very variable in size and appearance, scales on rhizome peltate, thin , translucent, pale brown, (under a lens clear with dark cell walls) stipes 3 – 15 mm diameter in mature plants, spongy and air filled, sterile fronds pale green, thin, flaccid and spreading, 4 – 60 cm long, including a stipe c. half this length, fertile fronds pale green, to brown when over mature, firm, held erect, 15 – 100 cm or more long, including stipe to 40 cm long, proliferous or dormant buds with overlapping dark scales sometimes present in the axils of fertile pinnae (twice seen), sterile axes obviously winged, pinnae basically broad-ovate or deltoid with a few blunt lobes, sometimes more deeply incised, the segments 2 - 15 x 10 – 30 mm, fertile segments linear, 1 - 2 x 10 – 80 mm." cannot be used as a page name in this wiki. | Wikipedia |
| Seed dispersal mechanism | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bloom type | Annual, Perennial | Cook |
| Life cycle of the plant | The lower leaves are sterile, upper leaves bear buds which can grow into whole plants. Juveniles are free floating or submerged while adults can be submerged, free floating or emergent. The spores are presumably dispersed by water. | Cook |
How to identify this species
For a detailed description, refer to the General Morphology details above
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Type of plant | Fern | |
| Plant height | Up to 3 feet | |
| Flower color | ||
| Flower shape | ||
| Floral symmetry | ||
| Phyllotaxy of leaves | ||
| Leaf shape | ||
| Is the leaf petiolated or sessile? | Petiolated | Cook |
| Is the leaf simple or compound? | Simple | Cook |
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| IUCN Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | EoL |
| Indian States in which the species has been documented | Assam,Andhra Pradesh,Andaman and Nicobar Islands,Arunachal Pradesh,Bihar,Goa,Gujarat,Karnataka,Kerala,Maharashtra,Manipur,Meghalaya,Orissa,Rajasthan,Tamil Nadu,Tripura,Uttar Pradesh | Cook, Sasya Sahyadri |
| Locations at which the species has been documented | ||
| Biotic zones inhabited | ||
| Details about the habitat | Swampy areas, swamp forests, sago (Metroxylon) swamps, marshes, natural and man-made ponds, mostly in stagnant water bodies or in still pockets along slow flowing rivers, full sun to moderate shade, from sea level to 1300 m, but mostly less than 500 m altitude. Sometimes massed on or around logs or other floating vegetation, once recorded in a fresh-water mangrove (Sonneratia) growing among the finger-like pneumatophores. In some areas Ceratopteris exhibits a degree of seasonality, reaching maturity and shedding spores during the dry season; plants have lost nearly all sterile fronds by this stage. The species has been reported to functionally be an annual, repopulating from spore the next season, but it is clearly of indefinite lifespan in cultivation. | Wikipedia |
| Is this species native to India? | ||
| Is the species indigenous/endemic to Sub-Himalayan regions? | ||
| Is the species indigenous/endemic to Western Ghats? | ||
| Is the species indigenous/endemic to Eastern Ghats? |
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Plant is not native or native status not filled in |
If no maps are displayed below, it means the required data is absent. Click on "Edit with form" button on top of the page to add this information.
{{#generateMap:Assam,Andhra Pradesh,Andaman and Nicobar Islands,Arunachal Pradesh,Bihar,Goa,Gujarat,Karnataka,Kerala,Maharashtra,Manipur,Meghalaya,Orissa,Rajasthan,Tamil Nadu,Tripura,Uttar Pradesh|Ceratopteristhalictroides_brahma.svg|align=center}}
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Does this species have any medicinal use? | Yes |
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Other plants of the same family having medicinal use:
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| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| General types of ailments this species is used for treating | Accidents | |
| Specific ailments for which the species is used | Wound | Stuartxchange (untrusted) |
| Medicinal systems which use this plant | Folk Medicine | Stuartxchange (untrusted) |
| Details of Medicinal use | Leaf powder along with tumeric is applied to unhealed wounds. | |
| Parts of the plant used for treatment | Leaves | |
| Names of some medicinal active compounds in this plant, if known. | ||
| Details of the active chemical compounds found in this plant | ||
| Is the molecular basis of the medicinal action known? | ||
| Details of molecular basis of action | ||
| Are the toxic effects of consumption of this plant known? | Yes | Wikipedia |
| Details of the toxic effects of the plant species | Excessive intake may cause cancer. | Wikipedia (uncited comment) |
| Have there been validation/clinical studies related to this plant? | ||
| Details of the clinical studies related to the plant species |
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Is this plant/plant-derived product used in food preparations? | Yes | User-reported |
| Part(s) of the plant used in the food preparations | Leaves | |
| Details of use in food preparations | Plant used in cooking in Madagascar, Malaysia and some other parts of the world. Grown as a vegetable in India and used in salads (Ref: Cook). | |
| Does this species have any religious significance? | ||
| Religions which mention/give significance to this species | ||
| Religious occasions | ||
| Details of religious use |
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Is this plant cultivated commercially in India? | Yes | Wikipedia, Cook |
| Uses for which the plant is commercially cultivated | Human consumption, Ornamental use | |
| Plant parts of commercial value | ||
| Products where this plant is used | User-reported | |
| Description of use | Mostly used in cooking. It is also used as an ornamental plant in aquariums. | Cook |
| States where this plant is cultivated commercially | ||
| Best period for planting this plant | ||
| Best period for harvesting this plant | ||
| Method of propagation | ||
| Water requirement of this plant | High | |
| Pests and Diseases affecting this plant during cultivation | ||
| Other considerations while cultivating this plant | It grows best in soil with a pH reading of 5-9 and in very high amounts of light. It usually grows quickly.
Ceratopteris thalictroides can benefit well (like all aquatic plants) from the addition of CO2. The plants reproductive technique is similar to other ferns; small plantlets are grown on the mother plant and are then released when ready. It can provide useful shade to shyer fish and small fry. The dense roots are said to take nutrients out of the water helping to prevent the growth of algae. |
Wikipedia |
Pubmed Word cloud
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- If there is an error message below, it means that there is no retrievable information available on NCBI
- If the number of nucleotide sequences is less than 100, very little genomic work has been done on this species. A respectable number of nucleotide sequences is above 10000.
- Most of the nucleotide sequences may come from three sources:
- Studies on single genes, where people try to sequence genes such as some specific dehydrogenases important,say, for tannin production
- Sequences of Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer, whose sequence is used for generating molecular phylogenetic trees to establish species relationships
- Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) which can tell about which genes are present and expressed in the species at a particular time in the given tissue
{{#queryDB:taxonomy |Ceratopteris thalictroides }}
| Parameter | Value(s) | References See complete references in the References section at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Details of modern scientific knowledge available for this species | Not much information is present. People have sequenced the genomic sequence of the LEAFY gene which is responsible for leaf development in plants. (Aug 2010). | NCBI Taxonomy |
| Are herbarium specimen available for this species? | ||
| Institutes having herbarium samples |
If nothing is displayed in this section, it means the EoL ID has not been defined. Please click on Edit with form button on top and follow the instructions for filling in the EoL ID
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References
Cook (Book) : Christopher DK Cook (1996),', ISBN: 0198548214
EoL (Web): Encyclopedia of Life, Accessdate=2010-08-21
Stuartxchange (Web): Stuartxchange entry on watersprite, Accessdate=2010-08-21
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