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little duckweed

Roots

to 15 cm, tip mostly rounded;

sheath not winged.

Flowers

ovaries 1-ovulate, utricular scale with narrow opening at apex.

Fruits

0.5–0.7 mm, not winged.

Seeds

with 10–16 distinct ribs, staying within fruit wall after ripening.

Stipes

white, small, often decaying.

Fronds

floating, 1 or 2–5 or more, coherent in groups, obovate, flat or gibbous, 1–3.5 mm, 1–1.5 times as long as wide, margins entire;

veins 3, greatest distance between lateral veins near middle;

very distinct papillae near apex, some smaller indistinct ones on midline of upper surface;

lower surface very often red colored (more intensely than on upper), coloring beginning at attachment point of root, lower upper surface sometimes with red spots;

air spaces shorter than 0.3 mm; distinct turions absent.

2n

= 40, 42, 50.

Lemna obscura

Phenology Flowering (occasional) spring–fall.
Habitat Mesotrophic to –eutrophic, quiet waters, in temperate to subtropical regions with mild winters
Elevation 0–800 m (0–2600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI; c Mexico; South America (Colombia, Ecuador); Hawaii
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Lemnaceae > Lemna
Sibling taxa
L. aequinoctialis, L. gibba, L. minor, L. minuta, L. perpusilla, L. trisulca, L. turionifera, L. valdiviana
Synonyms L. minor var. obscura
Name authority (Austin) Daubs: Illinois Biological Monographs 34: 20. (1965)
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