Spirodela polyrhiza (Linnaeus) Schleiden. Common name: Greater Duckweed, Minnow-fole. Habitat: Still to slowly moving waters of ponds, lakes, beaver ponds, and swamps. Distribution: Widespread worldwide.
ID notes: The largest of the "duckweeds" (Landoltia, Lemna, Spirodela, Wolffia, Wolffiella).
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Taxonomy Comments: The spelling of the epithet is correctly 'polyrhiza', matching Linnaeus's basionym; there is no basis in the Code to change the spelling to 'polyrrhiza'.
Synonymy ⓘ: = AqW, C, Can, ETx1, F, G, GW1, K4, Mi, NcTx, NY, Ok, Pa, S, Tat, Tn, Tx, W, WH3, WV; = Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid. — Ar, FNA22, GrPl, Il, NE, RAB, S13, Va, Landolt (1980), Landolt (1986), Les & Crawford (1999), Spaulding et al (2019), orthographic variant; Lemna polyrhiza Linnaeus. Basionym: Lemna polyrhiza L. 1753
Links to other floras: = Spirodela polyrrhiza - FNA22
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Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL
- Great Plains: OBL
- Midwest: OBL
- Northcentral & Northeast: OBL
Heliophily ⓘ: 7
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Horticultural Information
No horticultural data found for this taxon.