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Araceae FAMILY

Lemna trisulca

Lemna trisulca

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Requires a sunny position in still water that is rich in nitrates and lime[1]. Duckweed can be a troublesome pond weed though it is easily controlled by simply scooping it out[2, 1]. This scooped out material makes an excellent addition to the compost heap. The growing plant is a good food source for fish and birds, as well as providing cover for creatures in the pond[1]. This species is very suitable for use in cold water aquaria though, like all members of the genus, it can harbour fish parasites[1]. The plant over-winters in temperate areas by means of resting buds which sink to the bottom of the pond in the late autumn and rise again in the spring[1].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but, since it spreads so rapidly by division, it really needs no extra help once it is in a pond. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Lemna+trisulca>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Complete Guide to Water Plants. — Muhlberg. H. · E. P. Publishing Ltd. · 1982 · ISBN 0-7158-0789-7 ↩︎Deals with a wide range of plants for temperate areas (and indoor aquaria) with quite a lot of information on cultivation techniques.
  3. [3]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  4. [4]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  5. [5]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.