Plant · GBIF taxon 2867589
Common Duckweed
Lemna minorAlso known as Lesser Duckweed, Water Lentil
Common duckweed floats freely on calm freshwater, spreading rapidly across still ponds and slow-moving streams via simple budding clone fronds. Each tiny bright green oval frond features a single delicate unbranched root that absorbs dissolved nutrients directly from the water column. The dense floating mats provide essential shelter for aquatic invertebrates while supplying nutrient-dense food for visiting waterfowl.
AquaticFloatingFast-Growing
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
- Ducks
- Mute Swans
- Grass Carp
ThreatsHerbicides, severe drought, excessive water turbulence
HabitatsPonds, lakes, marshes, slow-moving streams
Life spanPerennial (individual fronds live several weeks)
Classification
- OrderAlismatales
- FamilyAraceae
- GenusLemna
- SpeciesLemna minor
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Observation: Look closely at calm pond edges where brilliant green mats carpet the surface.
- Magnification: Use a hand lens to inspect the single dangling root beneath each oval frond.
- Pond Care: Monitor carefully in garden ponds because rapid growth can block light to submerged plants.
Genus Member (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Ecological Neighbor (c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) psweet, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by psweet · cc-by-sa
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