Lemna minor (Common Duckweed)

Lemna minor

Lemna minor L.

Lemna cyclostasa Elliot ex Schleid.

Lemna minima Chevall. ex Schleid.

Common Duckweed

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Alismatidae	Aquatic and marshy plants
Order	Alismatales	Herbaceous flowering plants found in marshy habitats
Family	Araceae	Arum family, with plants whose flower is enclosed in a spathe
Genus	Lemna	From Greek limnos, “lake or swamp”
Species	minor	“Smaller or lesser”

About plant names...

Common duckweed is native to Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Lemna means “water-plant” and “minor” means “lesser”—lesser because there is a similar-appearing plant in a different genus and with larger leaves, greater duckweed.

Identification: Duckweed forms a nearly continuous mat of tiny green leaves just below the surface of freshwater ponds and slow-moving streams. The leaves are so small that colonies resemble algae or “pond scum” from a distance. Each leaf is oval, ¹/₃₂-¼" (1-8 mm) × ¹/₃₂-⅛" (0.6-5 mm), equipped with tiny air sacs for flotation. Flowers are rare and nearly invisible at about ¹/₃₂" (1 mm) in diameter. Fish and birds benefit from its relatively high fat and protein levels: “duckweed” is named for ducks’ preference for this food.

Online References:

Lemna minor on www2.palomar.edu

Lemna minor on Wikipedia

Lemna minor at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Lemna minor on eFloras