Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District
Common Duckweed
(Small Duckweed)
Lemna minor
[C-value
5]
Duckweed family (Lemnaceae)
Blooms May
-
mid-June
The native Common Duckweed is common in our area. This aquatic requires full or partial sun and fresh water that is stagnant or slow-moving and relatively high in nutrients. Habitats include ponds and lakes, slowing moving creeks and marshes. This floating aquatic presents itself as a colony of tiny (only about 1/8" across) oval thalli. A thallus is a body that combines the functions of leaf and stem. The Duckweed thallus has a slightly succulent texture and is able to float on water because of numerous tiny imbedded air bubbles. Occasionally, a single tiny white flower is produced, about 1/16" across, with a cup-shaped scale, a pistil, and 2 anthers. The tiny floating plants look like algae, but are not. During the summer, Common Duckweed also forms dense colonies of plants from budding. like a carpet on the water's surface.
Common Duckweed in pond at Pickerill/Pigott Forest Preserve May 25, 2015
Common Duckweed in pond at Pickerill/Pigott Forest Preserve May 17, 2015
Common Duckweed (close up photo by Dr. John Hilty)
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