How to Grow and Care for Duckweeds

Common Duckweed (Lemna minor) are the smallest flowering plants on the planet. The plant is an important food source for both fish and waterfowl. Common Duckweed is used to counteract the effects of agricultural runoff because it removes excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus from waterways.

Star duckweed (Lemna trisulca) is called duckweed because it is an important food source for fish and birds. This aquatic plant grows in freshwater habitats in temperate regions worldwide. It is a good choice for a garden water plant because it is attractive and less invasive than other duckweeds. It also attracts wildlife and encourages diversity of pond-dwelling invertebrates.

Lemna gibba, the gibbous duckweed, swollen duckweed, or fat duckweed, is a species of Lemna (duckweed). It has a simple plant body, known as a thallus, which floats on the surface of the water and measures 3 to 5 mm in diameter. A single root hangs down into the water. Found in a wide range of still or slow-flowing water bodies, this common duckweed can also grow on mud or damp rocks.

Minute duckweed is a tiny aquatic plant that typically forms green carpets across still water surfaces. This free-floating species possesses minuscule, flat, oval fronds that cluster in groups, creating a lush, diminutive mat. Minute duckweed thrives in nutrient-rich freshwaters, reproducing rapidly and contributing to the ecosystem by providing food for aquatic life and shelter for microorganisms.

Turion duckweed is a small aquatic plant, often found floating in dense colonies on still or slow-flowing freshwaters. Its tiny, flat, and oval fronds, with their simple root hanging beneath, perform photosynthesis efficiently. During unfavorable conditions, turion duckweed produces compact overwintering buds, known as turions, which sink to the bottom, aiding survival and dispersal.