Duckweed.

Auf einen Blick

Pflegestufe

Einfach

Pflanzenart

Aquatic

Licht

Full sun to partial shade

Licht im Innenraum

Hell, indirekt

Gießen

Alle 0 Tage

Endgröße

0.5 centimeters

Wachstum

Schnell

Winterhärte

USDA 4 bis 10

Blütezeit

Rarely blooms in summer

Pflege

Keep this plant in still water to prevent it from being submerged or washed away. Watch for yellowing fronds which might indicate a nutrient deficiency. It spreads very quickly so you may need to scoop out excess to keep it from taking over.

Gießen

This plant must remain submerged in water at all times.

Düngen

Add a small amount of aquatic plant fertilizer if growth slows down.

Schneiden

Remove excess growth with a net to maintain surface area.

Umtopfen

Repotting is not applicable as it is a free floating plant.

Boden

None, aquatic

Boden-pH

6.0 to 7.5

Temperatur

5 bis 30°C

Luftfeuchtigkeit

70 bis 100%

Sicherheit

Menschen

It is generally considered non toxic, but its tendency to bioaccumulate contaminants makes it unsafe to eat from unknown water sources.

Kinder

Small children should be supervised around open water where this plant grows to prevent accidental ingestion of potentially contaminated water.

Essbarkeit

Duckweed can absorb heavy metals and toxins from polluted water, so never consume it from the wild.

So erkennst du die Pflanze

• Tiny green oval shaped fronds
• Single root hanging beneath
• Forms dense mats on water
• Lacks distinct stems or leaves

Höhe

0 bis 0,01m

Breite

0,01 bis 1m

Blätter

bright green, deciduous

Blüten

white, green, 0,1 bis 0,2cm

Häufige Probleme

• Algal blooms — Excess nutrients in the water can lead to algae that outcompetes the duckweed.

Standort und Pflege

Vermehrung

division

Pflanzzeit

spring, summer

Keep duckweed in check by pairing it with submerged oxygenators that help balance water chemistry.

Gute Pflanzpartner

• Eichhornia crassipes — They both thrive in similar nutrient rich aquatic environments.
• Ceratophyllum demersum — This submerged plant provides oxygen while the duckweed shades the surface.

Ähnliche Arten

• Spirodela polyrhiza — It is larger and has multiple roots hanging from each frond.
• Wolffia — These are even smaller and lack roots entirely.

Botanisches

Familie

Araceae

Gattung

Lemna

Ordnung

Alismatales

Klasse

Liliopsida

Ursprüngliche Heimat

Cosmopolitan, found in temperate and tropical regions worldwide.

Artenschutz

It is a common, widespread species and is not of conservation concern.

It thrives in still or slow moving nutrient rich water where it forms dense mats that shade the water below.

Nutzen für Wildtiere

provides cover for aquatic life, waterfowl food source

Bestäuber

Käfer

Verwendung

water filtration, aquarium cover, livestock feed

Taxonomie abgeglichen mit GBIF.

Häufige Fragen

How do I control it?

You can physically scoop it out with a fine mesh net.

Does it need soil?

No, it floats on the water surface and absorbs nutrients directly from the water column.

Woher der Name kommt

The name Lemna comes from the Greek word for a swamp plant, while minor refers to its small size.

Gut zu wissen

• It is a free floating aquatic plant with no true roots.
• Duckweed is a highly efficient nitrogen and phosphorus remover.
• The entire plant body is called a frond.
• It is often used in research as a model organism for plant biology.