Lemna minuta   Least Duckweed I

Lemna minuta close Lemna minuta

This Duckweed introduced from America is one of smallest things you can find when looking for plants. The tiny floating fronds are at most 0.5 mm long and it looks very insignificant but strangely quite easy to see on the surface of still water. Stace suggests it might overlooked by recorders - a more worthy plant to overlook I could not suggest.

In the close-up photo the larger fronds are those of Lemna minor (Common Duckweed) and the in the other photo the leaves of a normal plant give an idea of how small it is.

Does it flower? Yes - but the flowers are just a couple of stamens in a cup shaped frond and even smaller than the leaf itself. There are some which look a bit like flowers in the photo but magnifying it strains the resolution to much to be sure.

Leman minuta is often found in England an east Wales but is not common in Ireland and rare in Scotand.

Canal at Nob End Country Park, Bolton 12th June 2006

Added on 28th June 2006, updated 25th June 2010, updated 1st Feb 2012, updated 16th Nov 2014