Wetland and Aquatic Plants of Oklahoma

Interactive Keys: Free Floating Plants

Identification: Duckweeds can be very difficult to identify.  First determine whether roots are present and, if so, how many.  To identify Lemna species, you will need a microscopic to count the number of veins (nerves) and determine whether warts (papules) are  present.

Note: Duckweeds are a major food source for waterfowl and wading birds.  Beaver, muskrats, and fishes also dine on these plants.  There needs to be additional collection of these species in order to clarify distribution patterns.  All the species known from Oklahoma are perennial and native.

NWI status: All member of the duckweed family are OBL.


     1. Plants with one root per frond  (Lemna)
     2. Plants with multiple roots per frond (Spirodela)
     3. Plants with no roots (Wolffia and Wolffiella)

Last update: 1/13/04
Comments to : Bruce Hoagland

bhoagland@ou.edu

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