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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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image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Aidan Campos source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Radford, Ahles and Bell | Original Image ⭷

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Horticultural Information

No horticultural data found for this taxon.