Petite duckweed
Petite duckweed | ||||||||||||
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![]() Dainty duckweed ( Lemna minuta ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Lemna minuta | ||||||||||||
L. |
The petite duckweed ( Lemna minuta ) is the smallest species of the plant genus duckweed ( Lemna ) within the family of the arum family (Araceae). The original distribution area is unclear; it is a neophyte in many parts of the world , for example in Germany .
description
Vegetative characteristics
Lemna minuta is a tiny herbaceous plant . It varies in shape depending on the growing conditions. In the shade, the shape is limited to a single green, translucent, oval leaf no more than 2.5 millimeters long. In full sunlight it usually grows with symmetrical pairs of leaves. There is a ridge along the center line that makes the duckweed appear roof-shaped. Lemna forms a central root with a length of 0.2 to 1.5 centimeters.
Scion limbs: 0.8 to a maximum of 4 millimeters long, once or twice as long as wide.
Generative characteristics
Lemna minuta rarely produces an inflorescence in Central Europe , but if this is the case, the flowering period extends from May to September.
Male flowers: 2, microscopic, each with only one stamen, sepals and petals missing
Female flower: 1, microscopic, sepals and petals missing, style: 1
♂ * P0 A1 G0
♀ * P0 A0 G1
The solitary, achenaic fruit has 12 to 15 longitudinal ribs. The seed is 0.6 to 1 millimeter in size.
ecology
The pollination occurs in Central Europe by water spiders and water striders .
distribution
Lemna minuta is native to parts of America and naturalized in Japan and Europe; the exact native range is not known. The spread of Lemna minuta is constantly increasing; it has spread throughout Europe and was first described in Germany in 1973. In many areas it is an " invasive plant species ", such as in Belgium.
Locational conditions in Central Europe
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Lemna_minor_%26_minuta_PG.jpg/227px-Lemna_minor_%26_minuta_PG.jpg)
The petite duckweed grows in slow moving, calm and standing freshwater habitats (ponds, pools, small lakes, slow flowing waters). It influences the ecology of its populated habitat by mass-producing mats on the surface of the water that reduce the penetration of sunlight and the exchange of oxygen.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Petite duckweed . In: BiolFlor, the database of biological-ecological characteristics of the flora of Germany.
- ↑ a b Flora Emslandia, Lemna minuta, Zierliche Wasserlinse. Retrieved July 12, 2019 .
- ^ A b Invasive Alien Species in Belgium: Lemna minuta. Retrieved July 12, 2019 .