Wetland Plants and Plant Communities of Minnesota and Wisconsin

WATERMEAL

(Wolffia columbiana Karsten)

DUCKWEED FAMILY (Lemnaceae)

IND. STATUS: OBL

FIELD CHARACTERISTICS: Tiny plants with a globular frond 0.3-1 mm. long and floating just at the surface of the water. The scale shown in the above photograph is in mm.

ECOLOGICAL NOTES: Found in quiet waters of lakes and marshes, frequently associated with other members of the duckweed family.

Watermeal (Wolffia spp.) are the world's smallest flowering plants.

SOURCE: Fassett (1957); Gleason and Cronquist (1991); and Martin et al. (1951).

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