Duckweed

The duckweeds , or duckweeds , are watery plants floating belonging to the kind Lemna , (family of the Lemnacée S).

The generic name Lemna comes from the Greek name indicating these plants

General characteristics

These plants have a very simplified vegetative apparatus consisted a green plate (sling) of reduced size (by 5 to 10 mm), generally oval, floating at water surface and carrying thread-like roots with the lower part and flowers on the side.

They are often joined together by 3 or 4 and form dense populations at water surface soft stagnant.

These are often hardy perennials reproducing vegetatively by budding of the blade.

The flowers, very simplified, are two or three, generally a pistillate flower (female) and two staminate flowers (male).

The fruits indéhiscents often contain several seeds.

Distribution

Duckweeds are present in all the continents.
Présentes in great quantity, they can be a sign of Eutrophisation.

Use

It happened that one gives them in food complement to the pigs, which in summer, in the north of France, in Belgium or to the Netherlands went down sometimes they-even in the Watergang to eat the lenses at water surface, as well as snails and animals which can be fixed there.

Principal species

Lemna aequinoctialis Welw.
Lemna gibba L., the uneven Duckweed
Lemna minor L., the Petite duckweed
Lemna minuta Kunth
Lemna will obscura (Austin) Daubs
Lemna perpusilla Torr.
Lemna trisulca L., the Lentille with three lobes
Lemna will turionifera Landolt
Lemna valdiviana Phil.

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