Lemna minuta

Least duckweed

Family: Araceae · Type: perennial · Native

Least duckweed is a California native perennial found in coastal, central, and southern California regions, including the Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, and desert areas in freshwater habitats at elevations below 2,200 meters. Flowering in August, this aquatic plant produces pale green, thin plant bodies that are generally elliptic to oblong and typically grow in pairs. Growing just 1 to 2.5 millimeters long, the duckweed has a single obscure vein that extends less than two-thirds the distance from its root attachment to its symmetric tip. Its delicate plant body is characterized by visible air spaces between cells and a slightly thinner margin. Seeds are distinctively cross-lined between ribs, creating a unique textural pattern.

Habitat: Common. Freshwater

Bloom period: Aug

Elevation: < 2200 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoR, SN, SnJV, CW (exc SCoRO), SCo, SnGb, PR, D

California counties: San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Ventura, Sonoma, Madera, Inyo, San Luis Obispo, Trinity, Riverside, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Kern, Mendocino, Colusa, San Joaquin, Los Angeles, Mono, Napa, Orange, Siskiyou, Butte, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Marin, Lake, Amador, Fresno, Humboldt, Monterey, Nevada, Plumas, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Sutter, Yuba, Glenn, Tehama, Lassen, Modoc, Solano, El Dorado, Yolo, San Benito

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.