Characteristics and reproduction of the Duckweed

Duckweed or Lemnoideae is hardy and spreads easily

Duckweed or lemnoideae is resistant and spreads easily, for which it has spread to almost all corners of the world, except eastern Australia and Asia and despite the fact that this plant is not commercialized and much less offered by any nursery, it can coexist with another aquatic plant becoming a great pollutant.

This plant can become invasive when it begins to multiply in an accelerated and uncontrolled way, but in some parts of the world they have known how to take advantage of it for its use as a groundcover, compost material or also as a source of protein for farm animals, even in some areas in the south-eastern part of Asia there are human communities that consume them.

Duckweed characteristics

Characteristics of duckweed

In some areas where industrial activity has grown abysmally, they often use duckweed for sewage treatment and it is that the water lentils are closely associated with the riccias and salvinias and as assistants for the reproduction of perciform fish, serving as supports for the foam nests

Duckweed shapes

Duckweed it's a floating plant, with a maximum of three leaves which each have its only root that hangs in the water.

Each time the leaves grow, the specimens divide and become separate organisms.

The root can measure between 1 and 2 centimeters long, its leaves have an oval shape with a length of 1 to 8 millimeters, being 0.6 to 5 millimeters wide, light green and each of these leaves have three veins and five small incisions of air to aid flotation.

Duckweed reproduction

Duckweed multiplies quickly, reproducing thanks to division, being very rare that they produce flowers and if they do, they only measure about a millimeter in diameter.

Those flowers have a cup-shaped membranous scale, the scale has a single ovule and two stamens. The seed of the lentil is also small, measuring only one millimeter long, with a maximum of eight of the same size.

This plant organism supports pH levels that are below normal and with respect to temperature they can survive between 15ºC and 32ºCThat is why it is so easy for it to subsist and multiply in almost any ecosystem. In the winter, lentils produce leaves with higher levels of starch than the common leaves, all this in response to the long periods of cold of the winter seasons.

Duckweed requires much more than adequate lighting for it to have a good development in the pond or aquariumHowever, the low movement of water on the surface can make it much more difficult to control. This tiny plant it is usually considered as a plague due to its adaptability to any environment, its high growth rate and its small size.

Use of duckweed

Uses of duckweed

In larger aquariums, the extermination of this species is usually carried out through the use of nets, which can take a long time, and can exceed up to three weeks, this because even the smallest of this plants can quickly create a vibrant green floating carpet in a few days.

Due to the difficulty in containing duckweed, It is not recommended to use it as an ornament for any aquatic environment, unless you want to use it in natural biotopes in which duckweed helps to generate a sense of security for fish, reduce nitrate levels and also thanks to its hanging roots, since they manage to provide a legitimately natural atmosphere.


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