common duckweed
Lemna minor
USDA zones4 to 10
SunHandles full sun to partial sun
WaterHandles moist to wet soil
Size3 inches tall1 to 3 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Green
- Foliage color
- Green
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Common duckweed (Lemna minor) is a perennial for rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full or part sun and moist to wet soil. Tiny green plants float on the water and often form a carpetlike cover. Ducks, tadpoles, fish, and beavers eat it. Dense colonies can block mosquito larvae from reaching the surface to breathe.
Pairs well with Ostrich fern, Dawn redwood, and Chocolate lily.
Native range
AK, AL, AR, AZ, and 56 more places. See all 60
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY; AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, NT, ON, PE, QC, SK, and YT.