Tiny Duckweed Lemna perpusilla
- Phonetic Spelling
- LEM-nuh per-pew-SIL-ah
- Description
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'Tiny Duckweed' is an aquatic plant found in still or slowly moving waters of swamps, ponds or lakes. It is found mainly in the coastal plains of NC.
It is a tiny floating plant with flattened leaf-like stems (fronds) that produce one root per frond and are found singly or in groups of 3-5. They rarely flower. They are found in nutrient-rich waters.
- 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 and Central USA
- Distribution:
- AL, AR, AZ, CT, DC, DE, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
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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
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Description:
- Utricle that opens on one side, 0.7 to 1 mm long and without wings. Displays from August to October
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Flowers:
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Spadix
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- The inflorescence consists of two male flowers and 1 female flower, enclosed in a spathe like a sac. Blooms from June to September (rarely)
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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:
- Fronds are more or less convex on both sides, 1 to a few and ovate to obovate, flat, 1 to 4 mm long and 2-8 mm wide. 1 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:
- Water Garden
- Attracts:
- Songbirds