Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 31(2): 321-323, 2024 (December) - Short communication © 2024 Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v31i2.78759 SALVINIA MINIMA BAKER (SALVINIACEAE): A NEW PTERIDOPHYTIC RECORD FOR BANGLADESH SABIHA ALAM SHIFA, MD. ALMUJADDADE ALFASANE* AND MD. ABUL HASSAN Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh Keywords: Salvinia minima Baker; Salviniaceae; New record; Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, a total of four species of Salvinia namely, Salvinia auriculata Aublet, S. cucullata Roxb. ex Bory, S. molesta Mitch., and S. natans (Linn.) All. (syn. Marsilea natans L.), have been documented so far (Hooker, 1888; Prain, 1903; Datta and Mitra, 1953; Hadiuzzaman and Khondker, 1993; Siddiqui et al., 2007). Based on standard references (Biswas and Calder, 1954; Fassett, 1957; Blagojevich, 2001; USDA-ERDC, 2002; UFL-IFAS, 2002; Madeira et al., 2003; ISSG, 2006; Mikulyuk and Nault, 2009; Smagula and Connor, 2007; Alam et al., 2012), the present specimen has been identified as Salvinia minima Baker. However, previous surveys and research contain no records of S. minima from regions that now constitute present Bangladesh. Consequently, this represents the first report of Salvinia minima Baker from Bangladesh (Fig. 1). Common name: Water Spangles. Division: Polypodiophyta, Class: Polypodiopsida, Family: Salviniaceae, Genus: Salvinia, Species: Salvinia minima Baker, J. Bot. 24: 98 (1886), Synonym: Salvinia minima var. gaillardiana Maury, J. Bot. (Morot) 3: 129 (1889). Plant materials were collected on June 20, 2024, from agricultural land in Radhanagar, Bancharampur Upazila under Brahmanbaria District of Bangladesh. The site is geographically located at 23°41'54.1"N latitude and 90°46'31.5"E longitude. Sample was found floating on the surface of the waterbody of a canal and within 1 meter depth. A portion of the samples was preserved as herbarium sheets for long-term documentation. Along with a few aquatic macrophytes, the sample was taken from the water surface and placed in a sizable, air tight polyethylene bag with water mixed. Within six hours of the sample being collected, it was delivered to the Phycology, Limnology, and Hydrobiology Laboratory, Department of Botany at the University of Dhaka. Voucher specimens of the material were created and stored in the laboratory, while some fresh materials were preserved in 4% formaldehyde. The remaining plant sample was transferred to the Botanical Garden of Department of Botany at University of Dhaka, for ex-situ culture preparation, in a concrete house that was 1 × 0.5 m in length and 0.40 cm in depth. The aquatic fern S. minima is deep green and free-floating. The leaves range in length from 0.5 to 1.0 cm and are elliptic to nearly spherical or oval, while the stems can reach up to 6 cm. They have a circular to cordate base and an obtuse or notched apex. Leaves are arranged in a whorls of three, two of these three leaves are joined horizontally and float, while the third is submerged, dissected which acts as a root (1.5-2.0 cm). Plant colour is green to olive-green depending on the environmental conditions such as temperature and sunlight. Adaxial surface of the leaf is flat, having white hair on leaf surface. The abaxial surface also contains longer brown hairs. Leaf color ranged from vivid green to brown, and they frequently turn brown with age and exposure to sunshine. Asexual reproduction occurs primarily through fragmentation. Daughter plants can *Corresponding author: mujaddade@yahoo.com https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v31i2.78759 322 SHIFA et al. develop from any segment of the rhizome. The plant often exhibits exponential growth due to the continuous nature of fragmentation process. Fig. 1. Salvinia minima Baker: A. Natural habitat of S. minima growing with other aquatic macrophytes, B. Leaves are arranged in whorls of three, two of these three leaves are joined horizontally and float, while the third is submerged, C. Herbarium specimen with scale. SALVINIA MINIMA: A NEW RECORD 323 References Alam, A.B.M.S., Chowdhury, M.S.M. and Sobhan, I. 2012. Biodiversity of Tanguar haor: A Ramsar site of Bangladesh, Vol. I: Wildlife, IUCN Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp. xi+234. Biswas, K. and Calderk, C.C. 1954. Hand-book of common water and marsh plants of India and Burma. Herbarium, Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, 216 pp. Blagojevich, R.R. 2001. 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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Science Services, PUB‐ SS‐1053 2009. Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Prain, D. 1903. (Ind. Rep. 1981). Bengal Plants, Vol. 1. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun, India. 663 pp. Siddiqui, K.U., Islam, M.A., Ahmed, Z.U., Begum, Z.N.T., Hassan, M.A., Khondker, M., Rahman, M.M., Kabir, S.M.H., Ahmad, M., Ahmed, A.T.A., Rahman, A.K.A. and Haque, E.U. 2007 (eds). Encyclopedia of flora and fauna of Bangladesh. Vol. 5. Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka. pp 215-217. Smagula, A.P. and Connor, J. 2007. Aquatic plants and algae of New Hampshire’s Lakes and Ponds, NH Department of Environmental Services, Concord, USA, 102 pp. Hadiuzzaman, S and Khondker, M. 1993. Salvinia auriculata Aublet – A new recprd of aquatic Pteridophyte from Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Bot. 22(2): 229-231. UFL-IFAS, 2002. Salvinia minima. Aquatic, wetland and invasive plant particulars and photographs. Gainsville, FL, USA: University of Florida, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/395 USDA-ERDC, 2002. Salvinia minima Baker (Water Spangles). Aquatic Plant Information System. Vicksburg, MD: United States Department of Agriculture, Engineer Research and Development Center. http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/aqua/apis/PlantInfo/plantinfo.aspx? plantid=55 (Manuscript received on 25 July 2024; revised on 7 November 2024) http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/395 http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/aqua/apis/PlantInfo/plantinfo.aspx