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Lemna minor

L.

Lesser Duckweed

G5Secure Found in 11 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.128499
Element CodePMLEM01020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderArales
FamilyAraceae
GenusLemna
Other Common Names
Common Duckweed (EN) common duckweed (EN) Lenticule mineure (FR) Small Duckweed (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-20
Change Date1984-06-07
Edition Date2024-08-20
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Lemna minor is a tiny aquatic plant found throughout the northern hemisphere and introduced in the southern hemisphere. With a large range extent, more than 1000 occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Lemna minor is native across North America south of the Arctic biome, Eurasia, and portions of Africa. It is exotic in Australia and New Zealand, and likely exotic in South America. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be more than 1000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Lemna minor is potentially threatened by development, water infrastructure maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Lemna minor grows in still to slowly moving, mesotrophic to eutrophic waters of lakes, rivers, ponds, beaver ponds, and swamps (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024, Native Plant Trust 2024).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
AlaskaSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
WyomingSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
ColoradoS4Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
NevadaS3Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
IdahoSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
MississippiSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
KansasS5Yes
MontanaS5Yes
VermontS5Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
FloridaS3Yes
OregonSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
New MexicoSNRYes
New JerseyS5Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
IllinoisS5Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
UtahSNRYes
IowaS5Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS5Yes
Yukon TerritorySUYes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
SaskatchewanS1Yes
AlbertaSUYes
QuebecS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undeterminedUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, Short-lived
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (11)
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
Crystal CreekSan Bernardino National Forest6,783
SugarloafSan Bernardino National Forest8,206
Wild Cattle MtnLassen National Forest4,965
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
New Mexico (2)
AreaForestAcres
Aspen MountainGila National Forest23,784
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
Hurricane CreekWallowa-Whitman National Forest1,606
North Fork MalheurMalheur National Forest18,069
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
West Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
References (9)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2000. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 22. Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in part), and Zingiberidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 352 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Jewell, MD.,Bell, G. 2023. Overwintering and re-emergence in Lemna minor. Aquatic Botany, Volume 186, 2023, 103633,<br/>https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2023.103633.<br/>(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304377023000189)
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  6. Native Plant Trust. 2024. Go Botany website. Online. Available: https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org (accessed 2024).
  7. Paiha, AP., Laird, RA. 2022. Pace and shape of senescence in three species of duckweed. Ecol Evol. 2022 Jul 5;12(7):e9038. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9038.
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  9. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.