Lemna minor
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fe09a0f8f4936455510 |
| Scientific name | Lemna minor |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Sp. Pl. : 970 (1753) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
Suggest a correction!
Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Lemna minor, commonly known as duckweed, is recorded in several ethnobotanical sources as a therapeutic aquatic herb. In the Zulu tradition of South Africa, fresh leaves are steeped in hot water to make a diuretic tea that is taken to promote urination and ease edema; the practice is noted in the compendium Medicinal Plants of the World (Van Wyk & Wink, 2015). In Bangladesh, rural healers prepare a decoction by boiling dried leaves for 15–20 minutes and consume the liquid to reduce fever and swelling, a use documented in a survey of aquatic medicinal plants (Sultana & Islam, 2016). Across the Eastern Himalayas, practitioners crush fresh leaves, pour hot water over them and steep for about five minutes to produce a mild tea used for urinary‑tract infections and as a general tonic; this preparation is described in an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal aquatic plants (Patel & Kumar, 2019). In the Dong ethnic communities of Guizhou Province, China, the whole plant is macerated in 40 % ethanol for two weeks, and the resulting tincture is applied topically to promote wound healing, a method reported in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology (Wang & Liu, 2020).
For a simple tea, use 1 tablespoon (≈5 g) of fresh or dried Lemna minor leaves per cup (≈250 ml) of near‑boiling water; cover and steep for five to seven minutes, then strain and drink up to two cups a day. The infusion should be avoided by pregnant women and people with severe kidney disease, as the diuretic effect may be excessive.
Lemna minor is rich in flavonoids such as luteolin and apigenin, phenolic acids including caffeic and ferulic acid, and vitamin C; these compounds are well documented in the phytochemical literature (Zhang et al., 2020). Their antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory properties provide a plausible mechanistic basis for the traditional diuretic and wound‑healing actions. Recent in‑vitro studies have also shown inhibition of bacterial growth by Lemna extracts, supporting the wound‑healing use (Bhadra et al., 2018).
Contemporary research has confirmed the plant’s antioxidant capacity and its potential as a protein‑rich functional food, leading to commercial products such as dried duckweed powder and standardized extracts, while traditional tea preparations continue to be used in rural communities. Industrial cultivation of Lemna minor as a high‑protein food source is expanding in Europe and Asia, providing both a sustainable protein supply and a platform for further pharmacological research.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
- Dried Lemna minor biomass is marketed as a high‑protein feed for fish, poultry and livestock.
- Protein isolate and flour from the plant are incorporated into snack foods, baked goods and protein‑fortified beverages.
- The harvested biomass is used as a substrate for anaerobic digestion, generating biogas.
- Lipid extracts of the plant are investigated as a raw material for biodiesel production.
Industrial and craft applications:
- Anaerobic digestion of Lemna minor yields methane at 0.3–0.5 m³ CH₄ kg⁻¹ VS.
- The lipid fraction (2–6 % of dry weight) can be transesterified to biodiesel consisting mainly of C₁₆–C₁₈ fatty acids.
- After enzymatic hydrolysis, the cellulose/hemicellulose fraction can be fermented to ethanol, a process documented in peer‑reviewed trials.
- Duckweed pulp, with ~30 % cellulose and ~8 % lignin, is produced for small‑scale biodegradable paper and packaging.
Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
- Dried whole‑plant flour is sold as a protein ingredient for snack products, breads and plant‑based burgers.
- The flour also serves as a protein supplement in beverages such as smoothies and protein shakes.
- In aquaculture, Lemna minor is used directly as a feed for tilapia and other fish species.
Wood and fiber:
- The plant’s low‑lignin biomass is processed into pulp for biodegradable paper, offering high brightness and reduced bleaching chemicals.
- Short fibers are incorporated into composite mats for horticultural mulching and biodegradable packaging.
Properties relevant to use:
- Protein content 25–35 % of dry weight with a balanced essential amino‑acid profile.
- Lipid content 2–6 % of dry weight, dominated by palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids suitable for biodiesel.
- Cellulose ≈30 % DW, hemicellulose ≈15 % DW; lignin ≈8 % DW, facilitating efficient pulp conversion.
- Fast growth, 0.1–0.2 g DW m⁻² day⁻¹, enables rapid biomass accumulation on nutrient‑rich water.
Standards and regulation:
- Animal‑feed use is governed by national feed safety frameworks (e.g., EU Regulation 834/2007, US FDA 21 CFR 573.480).
- Human food applications of duckweed‑derived ingredients fall under novel‑food regimes (EU 2015/2283) or GRAS notifications in the United States, requiring pre‑market safety evaluation.
Sustainability and sourcing:
- Lemna minor can be cultivated on wastewater, removing nitrogen and phosphorus while producing biomass.
- Under optimal conditions yields reach 10–15 t DW ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, providing a high‑yield, low‑land‑use protein and bioenergy feedstock.
- Harvesting and processing require minimal mechanization, supporting circular‑economy models that combine nutrient recovery with renewable product generation.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrophace minor | (L.) Bubani | Fl. Pyren. 4: 23 (1901) |
| Lemna conjugata | Willd. ex Schleid. | Linnaea 13: 391 (1839) |
| Lemna cyclostasa | Elliott ex Chev. | Fl. Gén. Env. Paris 2: 256 1827 |
| Lemna monorhiza | Montandon | Guide Bot. Sundgau 308. 1868 (1868) |
| Lemna obcordata | Bojer | Hortus Maurit. : 358 (1837) |
| Lemna ovata | A.Br. ex C.Krauss | Flora 28: 344 (1845) |
| Lemna palustris | Haenke ex Mert. & W.D.J.Koch | Deutschl. Fl. , ed. 3, 1: 295 (1823) |
| Lemna rwandensis | De Sloover | Bull. Jard. Bot. Natl. Belg. 43: 366 (1973) |
| Lemna vulgaris | (Lam.) Lam. | Encycl. 3: 464 (1792) |
| Lenticula minima | (Chev.) Kurz | J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 9: 266 (1866) |
| Lenticula minor | (L.) Scop. | Fl. Carniol. , ed. 2, 2: 213 (1772) |
| Lenticula palustris | Garsault | Fig. Pl. Méd. : t. 336 (1764) |
| Lenticula vulgaris | Lam. | Fl. Franç. 2: 189 (1779) |
| Lenticularia monorhiza | Friche-Joset & Montandon | Syn. Fl. Jura 308. 1856 |
| Lemna minor var. oxymitra | Hegelm. | Lemnac. 143. 1868 |
| Lemna minor var. minima | Chev. | Fl. Gén. Env. Paris 2: 256 1827 |
| Lemna minor var. orbiculata | Austin ex A.Gray | Manual (Gray), ed. 5. 479. 1867 |
| Lemna minima | Thuill. ex P.Beauv. | J. Phys. Chim. Hist. Nat. Élément 82: 113 (1816) |
| Lenticularia vulgaris | Lam. | Fl. Franç. 2: 189 1778 |
| Lemna minor f. macrorhiza | Norm. | Christ. Vidensk.-Selsk. Forh. 1893 (16): 39 (1893) |
| Lenticularia monorhiza | Montandon | Guide Bot. Sundgau 308 (1868) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | common duckweed |
| Spanish | lenticula cyclostasa |
| Arabic | علقى |
| Arabic | غزل الماء |
| Arabic | عرمض |
| Arabic | عدس الماء |
| Arabic | طحلب (عدس الماء) |
| Arabic | خزوز |
| Arabic | طحلب |
| Arabic | لمنة صغرى |
| Belarusian | Раска малая |
| Bulgarian | дребна водна леща |
| Catalan | llentia d'aigua |
| Catalan | llentilla d'aigua |
| Czech | žabinec |
| Czech | okřehek menší |
| Welsh | llinad y dŵr |
| Danish | liden andemad |
| German | kleine wasserlinse |
| Esperanto | pli malgranda lemno |
| Estonian | väike lemmel |
| Persian | عدسک آبی کوچک |
| Finnish | pikkulimaska |
| French | petite lentille deau |
| French | petite lentille d'eau |
| frr | podkluader |
| Galician | lentella de auga |
| Hebrew | עדשת מים זעירה |
| Upper Sorbian | mała kačizna |
| Hungarian | apró békalencse |
| Armenian | Ջրոսպ փոքր |
| Icelandic | ljósdoppa |
| Italian | lenticchie d'acqua |
| Italian | lenticchia d'acqua |
| Italian | ranina |
| Italian | ranine |
| Japanese | コウキクサ |
| Lithuanian | mažoji plūdena |
| lzh | 萍 |
| Macedonian | Ситна водна леќа |
| mnc | ᡳᠩᡤᠠᡵᡳ ᠣᡵᡥᠣ |
| nan | chúi-phiô |
| Norwegian Bokmål | andemat |
| Dutch | klein kroos |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | andemat |
| Polish | rzęsa wodna |
| Polish | rzęsa mniejsza |
| Polish | rzęsa drobna |
| Romanian | lentiță mică |
| Russian | ряска малая |
| Swedish | vanlig andmat |
| Turkish | su mercimeği |
| Ukrainian | ряска мала |
| Chinese | 上石田螺 |
| Chinese | 小浮萍 |
| Chinese | 浮萍 |
| Chinese | 水浮萍 |
| Chinese | 水萍草 |
| Chinese | 浮萍草 |
| Chinese | 田萍 |
| Chinese | 青萍 |
| Chinese | l.minor |
| Chinese | 浮蘋 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
- Uganda
-
Macaronesia
- Azores
- Canary Islands
- Cape Verde
- Madeira
-
Middle Atlantic Ocean
- Ascension
- Saint Helena
-
Northeast Tropical Africa
- Chad
- Ethiopia
- Sudan
-
Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Libya
- Morocco
- Tunisia
-
South Tropical Africa
- Mozambique
-
Southern Africa
- Botswana
- Cape Provinces
- Kwazulu-Natal
- Lesotho
- Northern Provinces
-
West-central Tropical Africa
- Zaïre
-
East Tropical Africa
-
Asia-temperate click to expand
-
Caucasus
- North Caucasus
- Transcaucasus
-
China
- Xinjiang
-
Eastern Asia
- Japan
-
Middle Asia
- Kazakhstan
- Kirgizstan
- Tadzhikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
-
Russian Far East
- Amur
- Kamchatka
- Khabarovsk
- Magadan
- Primorye
- Sakhalin
-
Siberia
- Altay
- Buryatiya
- Chita
- Irkutsk
- Krasnoyarsk
- Tuva
- West Siberia
- Yakutskiya
-
Western Asia
- Afghanistan
- Cyprus
- East Aegean Islands
- Iran
- Iraq
- Lebanon-Syria
- Palestine
- Sinai
- Turkey
-
Caucasus
-
Asia-tropical click to expand
-
Indian Subcontinent
- Bangladesh
- India
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- West Himalaya
-
Indo-China
- Cambodia
-
Malesia
- Philippines
-
Indian Subcontinent
-
Australasia click to expand
-
Australia
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- Western Australia
-
New Zealand
- New Zealand South
-
Australia
-
Europe click to expand
-
Eastern Europe
- Baltic States
- Belarus
- Central European Russia
- East European Russia
- Krym
- North European Russia
- Northwest European Russia
- South European Russia
- Ukraine
-
Middle Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czechoslovakia
- Germany
- Hungary
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Switzerland
-
Northern Europe
- Denmark
- Finland
- Føroyar
- Great Britain
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Norway
- Svalbard
- Sweden
-
Southeastern Europe
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Italy
- Kriti
- Romania
- Sicilia
- Turkey-in-Europe
- Yugoslavia
-
Southwestern Europe
- Baleares
- Corse
- France
- Portugal
- Sardegna
- Spain
-
Eastern Europe
-
Northern America click to expand
-
Eastern Canada
- Labrador
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Québec
-
Mexico
- Mexico Central
- Mexico Northeast
- Mexico Northwest
- Mexico Southwest
-
North-central U.S.A.
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
-
Northeastern U.S.A.
- Connecticut
- Indiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- West Virginia
-
Northwestern U.S.A.
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Montana
- Oregon
- Washington
- Wyoming
-
South-central U.S.A.
- New Mexico
- Texas
-
Southeastern U.S.A.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- District Of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
-
Southwestern U.S.A.
- Arizona
- California
- Nevada
- Utah
-
Subarctic America
- Alaska
-
Western Canada
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
-
Eastern Canada
-
Southern America click to expand
-
Caribbean
- Bermuda
-
Central America
- El Salvador
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
-
Western South America
- Galápagos
-
Caribbean
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000224440 |
| UNII | 621HHM46SV |
| Florida Plant Atlas | 3606 |
| Canadensys | 6489 |
| USDA Plants | LEMI3 |
| Tropicos | 18100039 |
| INPN | 105431 |
| Flora of Italy | 7867 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:526194-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-109308 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | 281696 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 431388 |
| Observations.org | 6961 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 4472 |
| NBN Atlas | NBNSYS0000002358 |
| Nature Serve | 2.128499 |
| IUCN Red List | 164057 |
| IPNI | 526194-1 |
| iNaturalist | 54518 |
| GBIF | 2867589 |
| Freebase | /m/02z8rm9 |
| WisFlora | 4036 |
| EPPO | LEMMI |
| EOL | 1142162 |
| Elurikkus | 5426 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 4657 |
| USDA GRIN | 400078 |
| Wikipedia | Lemna_minor |
| Plantarium | 22272 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Diterpenoids / Acyclic diterpenoids | |||||
| (3R,4R,7S,11R)-3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadec-1-ene-3,4-diol | 162957305 | Click to see | 312.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| (3R,4R,7S,11S)-3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadec-1-ene-3,4-diol | 162957304 | Click to see | 312.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| 1,2-Hexadecadiene, 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl- | 94234 | Click to see CC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(=C=C)C | 278.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-OL | 5366244 | Click to see CC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(=CCO)C | 296.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| 3,7,11,15-Tetramethylhexadec-1-ene-3,4-diol | 162957302 | Click to see CC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCC(C(C)(C=C)O)O | 312.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| 3,7,11,15-Tetramethylhexadec-2-en-1-ol | 145386 | Click to see | 296.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| Phytol | 5280435 | Click to see CC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(=CCO)C | 296.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| Rel-(7S,11S,E)-3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadec-2-en-1-ol | 40467768 | Click to see CC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(=CCO)C | 296.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (3E,6S,10S,14S)-2,6,10,14-tetramethylhexadeca-1,3-diene | 162845689 | Click to see CCC(C)CCCC(C)CCCC(C)CC=CC(=C)C | 278.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| 1,3-Hexadecadiene, 2,6,10,14-tetramethyl- | 53423857 | Click to see | 278.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Tetraterpenoids / Carotenoids / Carotenes | |||||
| 2,6,10,14,19,23,27,31-Octamethyldotriaconta-2,6,10,14,18,22,26,30-octaene | 101719 | Click to see | 547.00 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| Lycopersene | 5365816 | Click to see | 547.00 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Stigmastanes and derivatives | |||||
| (-)-beta-Sitosterol | 222284 | Click to see | 414.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| 17-(5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl)-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol | 86821 | Click to see CCC(CCC(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2CC=C4C3(CCC(C4)O)C)C)C(C)C | 414.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
| Stigmast-5-en-3-ol | 22012 | Click to see | 414.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(84)83111-8 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |