Minute Duckweed Lemna perpusilla
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- LEM-nuh per-pew-SIL-ah
- Description
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Tiny Duckweed is an aquatic, free floating, hydroannual or herbaceous perennial in the arum family found in still or slowly moving waters of swamps, ponds or lakes. It is native, found mainly in the coastal plains of North Carolina. Tiny Duckweed is a small floating plant with flattened leaf-like stems (fronds) that produce one root per frond. It is often found singly or in groups of 3 to 5. The plant rarely flowers, but will form an expanding 1/4 inch mat of foliage on still water. The genus name is Greek for a water weed.
Tiny Duckweed grows in nutrient-rich, still waters in full sun to full shade and does best in the cool weather of spring or autumn. In frost-free climates, it can be invasive.
To plant, scatter small bunches of Tiny Duckweed on the water surface after last frost. It will spread quickly in cool conditions. If the plant's watery home should recede, it can grow on wet mud. Plants develop buds (called turions) in autumn that sink to the bottom as winter approaches. The buds rise in spring after water temperatures warm up.
Tiny Duckweed is a useful addition to water gardens and ponds to provide an attractive foliage cover and discourages algae growth.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
No known diseses or insect pests. Can become invasive.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Lemna
- Species:
- perpusilla
- Family:
- Araceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern Canada and Eastern and Central United States
- Distribution:
- Introduced into France, India, Iran, and Korea.
- Wildlife Value:
- Food source for ducks and other waterfowl). Fish also consume the plants and can be used to control the spread of the plant in ornamental ponds.
- Edibility:
- Food source for muskrats, beaver, birds, and frogs.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Native Plant
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Dense
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Occasionally Wet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Small utricle that opens on one side without wings. Displays from August to October
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Spadix
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- The inflorescence consists of two male flowers and one female flower, enclosed in a spathe-like sac. When it blooms, which is rare, it is from June to September.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Shape:
- Obovate
- Ovate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- The foliage is not true leaves or stems, rather it is a flattened green frond (to an 1/8 of an inch long) with a single downward-trailing root. Fronds are more or less convex on both sides with one distinct papule at the node and a few distinct papules above the node.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Pond
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Water Garden
- Design Feature:
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Frogs
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
