Duckweeds
Arum Family - Araceae (formerly Lemnaceae)
Common Duckweed Lemna minorNative throughout North America, western and northern Eurasia and Africa. Widespread in all types of freshwater wetlands. Fronds 1-8 x 0.6-5mm, flattened on both surfaces and with 3 (sometimes 5) veins. Each frond develops a single rootlet. Fronds typically bright green; if there is any red colouration, it tends to be most obvious on the upper side.
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Fat Duckweed Lemna gibba
Widespread throughout Europe and western Asia, much of Africa, western North America and South America. In a wide range of wetland habitats but usually less common than Common Duckweed and typically found growing with it. Fronds 1-8 x 0.8-6mm, flattened on the top surface but strongly inflated beneath and typically with 4-5 veins. Each frond may develop a single rootlet. Fronds often with a reddish tinge which is most obvious around the margins. Note that starved or late-season fronds are often flattened and not swollen beneath. These can be very hard to tell from Common Duckweed but for the larger air spaces within the frond (more than 0.3mm across).
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