Botanical name: Lemna minor    Family: Araceae (Arum family)
Synonyms: Lenticula minor, Hydrophace minor, Lemna minima, Lemna vulgaris

Lesser Duckweed is a floating freshwater aquatic plant, with one, two, three or four leaves each having a single root hanging in the water. As more leaves grow, the plants divide and become separate individuals. The root is 1-2 cm long. Leaves are oval, 1-8 mm long and 0.6-5 mm broad, light green, with three (rarely five) veins and small air spaces to assist flotation. It reproduces mainly vegetatively by division. Flowers are rarely produced and measure about 1 mm in diameter, with a cup-shaped membranous scale containing a single ovule and two stamens. The seed is 1 mm long, ribbed with 8-15 ribs. Birds are important in dispersing it to new sites. The sticky root enables the plant to adhere to the plumage or feet of birds and can thereby colonize new ponds. Lesser Duckweed is found in Temperate & Subtropical regions almost throughout the world.

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The flower labeled Lesser Duckweed is ...