Common Duckweed

Lemna gibba

HerbMedicinal

Habit: Herb
Found in India: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab & more
Flowering: August-January

How to identify Common Duckweed

Identify Common Duckweed by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a herb habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Tiny floating leaf-like body with a swollen underside (common duckweed).
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-January.
In India, compare location records such as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand.
Confirm it sits within the Lemnaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Common Duckweed.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Lemna gibba
Genus: Lemna
Family: Lemnaceae
Habit: Herb
Habitat: Stagnant waters
Habitat type: Wetland
Native to: India, Sri Lanka, Africa
Distribution: Cosmopolitan
Found in India: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand
Flowering & fruiting: August-January
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Flower & fruit characters

Inflorescence: Spike

Typical of the Lemnaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.

About Common Duckweed

Common Duckweed (Lemna gibba) belongs to the Lemnaceae family, where it grows as a herb. In India it has been recorded in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and 1 other states. It grows in stagnant waters. Flowering and fruiting run from August to January.