Florida's Native Duckweeds

Duckweeds are common plants in Florida. Although very small, they are nonetheless sometimes quite noticeable, as when they cover a pond with dense masses.

Click on the picture on the left to compare the duckweeds. Note the centimeter-measure in the picture, remembering that 2.5 cm equals an inch. These are very small flowering plants indeed; in fact, water meal (Wolffia spp.), at 1 to 1.5 mm long, is the smallest flowering plant on earth!

Also see the individual plant pages for the duckweeds:

Spirodela polyrhiza - giant duckweed
Lemna valdiviana - small duckweed
Wolffia columbiana - water meal
Wolffiella floridana - mud-midget


Landoltia punctata (Spirodela punctata) - a non-native duckweed


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