Limnobium spongia

Native to Florida

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Frog's-bit is a native floating or rooted aquatic plant. It is occasionally found growing in the shallow water of ponds, lakes and ditches from the peninsula west to the central panhandle of Florida. Limnobium spongia blooms from summer to fall. One species of Limnobium exists in Florida (Wunderlin, 2003). Frog's bit is located in the southeast quarter of the US, as well as a few states in the north, including, IN, IL, and NY (Kartesz, 1999). It is often confused with water hyacinth and European frog-bit.

Frog's-bit leaves are very thick and leathery. They are either rounded, or in younger plants, somewhat heart-shaped with rounded lobes. Younger leaves tend to be bright and shiny above and reddish underneath. Undersides of young leaves have a central disk of red spongy cells. The leaf stalks have ridges on either side, and are firm.