Lemna minor
common duckweed
up to 15 cm long.
absent.
floating on the surface, elliptic to obovate; (1)2–5(8) mm long, 1.3–2 times longer than wide, generally in clusters of 2 or 3 (sometimes many);
veins 3(5); if more than 3 then the outer veins branching from inner veins;
lower surface flat, green, rarely reddish near the root attachment;
upper surface flat, green (sometimes reddish); and smooth.
Lemna minor
Freshwater. 0–1600 m. BR, Casc, CR, Est, Lava, Owy, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America; nearly worldwide. Native.
Lemna minor is distinguished from similar species with more than one vein (L. gibba and L. turionifera) by a lack of distinctive features such as a midline ridge or papillae on the upper surface, reddish or inflated lower surface, turions, and an asymmetrical apex.
Katie Mitchell
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
