Lemna minor L.

• Authority

  Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

• Family

  Araceae

• Scientific Name

  Lemna minor L.

• Description

  Species Description - Thallus rotund to elliptic or obovate, (1.5–)2.5–6 mm, nearly symmetrical, commonly in groups of 2–5, very often anthocyanic beneath, dark green above, or anthocyanic on both sides, ± evidently 3-nerved, usually flat or only slightly convex on both sides, the upper surface with ± prominent papillae; spathe sac-like, open only at the top; fr not winged; seed solitary, smooth or only inconspicuously ribbed; 2n=20, 30, 40, 50. Nearly cosmop., and common throughout our range. (L. obscura, a small form; L. turionifera, overwintering by small, rootless turions at the bottom of the water)

• Common Names

  lesser duckweed