Lemna minor
L.Root single. Thallus floating on water surface, elliptic to rounded or broadly obovate, 1–8 mm long, flat, green above, if red beneath, reddening beginning from the node, opaque; veins 3(–5), if 4–5, outer veins branching at base of inner ones; base with stalk indistinct; apex rounded. Colony made up of generations at angles less than 90° to the previous one.
LoM, Wim, GleP, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, DunT, NIS, WPro, HSF, Strz, VAlp. Native to North America, Atlantic Islands, Europe, Africa, Asia. Naturalized in New Zealand.
Lemna minor has widely been misapplied to L. disperma in most flora accounts of Victoria. This treatment follows Landolt (2011), keeping L. minor in the Victorian flora. This is done with some reservation, as there are no verified specimens of this species from Victoria housed in Australian herbaria. Lemna minor is reported to have been introduced in Victoria, with collections from Melbourne, Doncaster and Stawell seen by Landolt (1986). The distinction between L. minor and L. disperma is cryptic at best, and requires fresh material. Observing veins may only be achieved using a microscope with a transmitting light.
Conn, B.J. (1994). Lemnaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 168–173. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
