Taiwan Quillwort

Isoetes taiwanensis is an aquatic plants. The leaves are short and slender, about 5 to 25 centimeters long, with a single vein and containing four air canals. The plant has a corm divided into three to four segments. The roots grow in the muddy bottom of the water. The sporangia grow on the inner side of the leaf base and are differentiated by size. The larger sporangia are ovoid, appearing grayish-white when moist but turning white when dry. The smaller sporangia are gray and oval-shaped. In Taiwan, it grows submersed in shallow ponds for most of the year. During the winter, which is the high water period, Isoetes taiwanensis can be a submerged plant. In the dry season of summer, it becomes an emergent plant. However, the moist bottom mud helps the plant survive the dry period.