Wolffia columbiana
Water meal

Water meal, native to Florida, is a tiny, floating, rootless plant. At 1 to 1.5 mm long, it is the smallest flowering plant on earth. It is commonly found in still or sluggish waters, often mixed with other duckweeds, but sometimes forms a pure stand. Water meal is barely discernible to the naked eye.


R.K. Godfrey says he "sometimes tests for its presence by taking a handful of whatever duckweeds are present and rubbing them between the palms of the hands. If Wolffia is present it gives the feeling of granularness or mealiness."

See how Wolffia species compare with the other duckweeds on the duckweeds comparison page.