Ilparpa Claypans FloraAnnual Yellowtop (Senecio gregorii) Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) Button grass (Dactyloctenium radulans) Centipeda crateriformis Cyperus sp Goatshead Burr (Sclerolaena bicornis) Golden Everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum) Invisible Plant (Siemssenia capillaris) Longtails (Ptilotus polystachyus) Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii) Pink Everlasting (Schoenia cassiniana) Polycarpaea brevifolia Red Pussytail (Ptilotus polystachyus) Schenkia australis Small-Leaf Swainson-Pea (Swainsona microphylla) Tiny Purslane (Calandrinia pumila) Tiny Purslane (White form) Variable Daisy (Brachyscome ciliaris) Wahlenbergia capillaris Yellow Billybutton (Calocephalus platycephalus)

Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii) is a widespread and common species of fern that is native to Australia, in particularly the inland regions of Australia.

Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii), Ilparpa Claypans

A rhizomatous perennial aquatic fern, whose roots grow in the mud substrates, whilst the leaves float on the surface of water. They mainly occur in still water, up to a metre deep and often appear in abundance after floods. As the water recedes, you can see the leaves held up on a long stem.

Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii), Ilparpa Claypans
Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii), Ilparpa Claypans

More information in our Flora section on the Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii).

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes
  • Division: Polypodiophyta
  • Class: Polypodiopsida
  • Order: Salviniales
  • Family: Marsileaceae
  • Genus: Marsilea
  • Species: M. drummondii
  • Binomial name: Marsilea drummondii

Footnote & References

  1. Marsilea drummondii, Common Nardoo, Growing Native Plants, Australian National Herbarium, https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2004/marsilea-drummondii.html
  2. Nardoo, the desert fern, by Abbie Thomas, ABC Science, https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2007/03/08/2041341.htm
  3. Marsilea drummondii, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsilea_drummondii (last visited July 10, 2022).
  4. Did Burke and Wills die because they ate nardoo?, State Library of Victoria \ Dig: The Burke & Wills Research Gateway, https://burkeandwills.slv.vic.gov.au/ask-an-expert/did-burke-and-wills-die-because-they-ate-nardoo

Ilparpa Claypans FloraAnnual Yellowtop (Senecio gregorii) Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) Button grass (Dactyloctenium radulans) Centipeda crateriformis Cyperus sp Goatshead Burr (Sclerolaena bicornis) Golden Everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum) Invisible Plant (Siemssenia capillaris) Longtails (Ptilotus polystachyus) Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii) Pink Everlasting (Schoenia cassiniana) Polycarpaea brevifolia Red Pussytail (Ptilotus polystachyus) Schenkia australis Small-Leaf Swainson-Pea (Swainsona microphylla) Tiny Purslane (Calandrinia pumila) Tiny Purslane (White form) Variable Daisy (Brachyscome ciliaris) Wahlenbergia capillaris Yellow Billybutton (Calocephalus platycephalus)

Ilparpa ClaypansIlparpa Claypans Fauna Ilparpa Claypans Flora Ilparpa Claypans Landscape

Northern TerritoryCentral Australia Aileron Alice Springs Binns Track Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve Ernest Giles Road Finke Gorge National Park Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve Hermannsburg Historic Precinct Ilparpa Claypans Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve MacDonnell Ranges Mount Connor Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary Owen Springs Reserve Red Centre Way Drive Standley Chasm Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Watarrka National Park & Kings Canyon Wurre / Rainbow Valley