Spirodela polyrhiza
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fed4573d36351180625 |
| Scientific name | Spirodela polyrhiza |
| Authority | (L.) Schleid. |
| First published in | Linnaea 13: 392 (1839) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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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.
Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid., often called greater duckweed, enters several East Asian traditions as a mildly bitter, cold herb employed for fevers, skin inflammations, and wound care. In Chinese sources, the dried whole plant has been taken as a decoction for febrile “heat” conditions and to reduce swelling, while fresh fronds have been applied as poultices or in compresses to treat sores and ulcerations, and in some streams of practice as an eyewash for irritation (Fu Zheng, 1978; Modern Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, 1977). In the Tibetan pharmacopeia the plant is included among gentle cooling agents and bitter tonics; powdered dried herb may be infused as a tea and used externally on burns or boils (Jampalsamsa and Pema Lobsang, 1992). Among Miao healers in southern China, a warm decoction of the whole plant or an infusion of dried fronds is given for “internal heat,” urinary discomfort, and to aid resolution of abscesses (Chen et al., 2016).
A simple practical preparation can be made as a mild febrifuge tea. Place 6–10 g of air‑dried Spirodela (whole plant) in 300–400 mL of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10–12 minutes and strain. This is taken in divided doses of 150–200 mL, two to three times daily, for fever and “heat” manifestations. For external use, a cool compress is prepared by steeping 10–15 g of dried plant in 500 mL of hot water for 15 minutes; the cooled liquid is applied as a wash or soaked dressing for 10–20 minutes, two to three times daily. Safety: avoid high doses or prolonged use in pregnancy and during lactation; people with kidney or liver disease, and those on diuretics or hypoglycemic drugs, should use only under professional guidance (Modern Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, 1977).
Well‑established constituents in Spirodela include luteolin and apigenin flavonoids, along with cinnamic and p‑coumaric acids; the plant also contains rutin,Quercetin derivatives and flavonoid glycosides such as luteolin‑7‑O‑glucoside and quercetin‑3‑O‑rutinoside, together with phenolic acids including caffeic acid, and the cyclohexenone derivatives spirodinol and polyrhizin (Grycova et al., 2013). These phenolics and flavonoids plausibly underlie its traditional use as a mild febrifuge, anti‑inflammatory and topical soothing agent, explaining in vitro antioxidant and enzyme‑modulating activity observed for the species.
The plant remains available as a dried herb in Chinese and Tibetan pharmacies, where it continues to be used in modest febrile and external applications; modern phytochemical work supports its known traditional profile while clinical data remain limited, and this situates Spirodela as a historically recorded yet scientifically emerging remedy.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
- Model organism and plant systems biology resource: whole-genome sequences, gene expression and metabolic networks, culture collections, and genome browsers support comparative genomics and developmental studies of duckweeds.
Industrial and craft applications:
- Wastewater bioremediation: grown in municipal, agricultural, and industrial effluents for nutrient removal and biomass production; harvested biomass is commonly processed for bioenergy or animal feed.
- Biofuel feedstock: biomass and extracted starch are converted to bioethanol via saccharification and fermentation; biogas via anaerobic digestion; thermochemical upgrading to biochar has been demonstrated.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
- Not established as a food ingredient for Spirodela polyrhiza; other duckweed species are under regulatory assessment as novel foods, but this taxon lacks specific authorization.
Colorants and tanning:
- No documented use.
Wood and fiber:
- No woody form; not used for timber or fiber.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
- No documented use.
Properties relevant to use:
- Starch accumulation: under nitrogen limitation, fronds can store >50% dry-weight starch (amylose-type), enabling high-yield glucose release for saccharification.
- Rapid biomass production: high relative growth rate under optimal light and nutrient conditions, supporting continuous harvest systems.
- Phytonutrient profile: presence of carotenoids (e.g., lutein) and flavonoids contributes to the biochemical utility of extracts for research and applied analyses.
- Elemental composition: capable of bioaccumulating nutrients and trace elements from water, facilitating wastewater treatment.
Standards and regulation:
- The International Lemna sp. Working Group maintains genome and culture resources; culture collections provide taxonomic and deposition guidance.
- Species-level novel-food authorizations in the EU/UK focus on Lemna gibba/arrhiza; Spirodela polyrhiza is not yet listed in these frameworks.
Sustainability and sourcing:
- Cultivated in closed or semi-closed ponds; sourcing reduces pressure on terrestrial resources and avoids habitat disruption associated with wild harvest.
- Circular valorization: nutrients are recovered from wastewater to grow biomass, which is then converted to energy or feed, supporting integrated resource management.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lemna bannatica | Waldst. & Kit. ex Schleid. | Linnaea 13: 392 (1839) |
| Lemna major | Griff. | Not. Pl. Asiat. 3: 216 (1851) |
| Lemna maxima | Blatt. & Hallb. | J. Indian Bot. 2: 49 (1921) |
| Lemna orbicularis | Kit. ex Schult. | Oestr. Fl. , ed. 2, 1: 64 (1814) |
| Lemna orbiculata | Roxb. | Fl. Ind. ed. 1832 , 3: 565 (1832) |
| Lemna polyrhiza | L. | Sp. Pl. : 970 (1753) |
| Lemna thermalis | P.Beauv. ex Nutt. | Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 19 (1818) |
| Lemna transsilvanica | Schur | Enum. Pl. Transsilv. : 635 (1866) |
| Lemna umbonata | A.Braun ex Hegelm. | Lemnac. : 156 (1868) |
| Lenticula polyrhiza | (L.) Lam. | Fl. Franç. 2: 189 (1779) |
| Spirodela atropurpurea | Friche-Joset & Montandon | Syn. Fl. Jura 309. 1856 |
| Spirodela maxima | (Blatt. & Hallb.) McCann | J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 43: 158 (1942) |
| Spirodela polyrrhiza var. masonii | Daubs | Illinois Biol. Monogr. 34: 13 1965 |
| Telmatophace orbicularis | (Kit. ex Schult.) Schur | Verh. Mitth. Siebenbürg. Vereins Naturwiss. Hermannstadt 4: 70 (1853) |
| Telmatophace polyrhiza | (L.) Godr. | Fl. Lorraine 3: 18 (1844) |
| Lemna polyrrhiza var. concolor | Kurz | J. Bot. 5: 115 1867 |
| Lemna obcordata | P.Beauv. | Numer. List [Wallich] n. 5201 (Quid ?). [1831-32] |
| Lemna thermalis | P.Beauv. | J. Phys. Chim. Hist. Nat. Arts 82: 102, 113 1816 |
| Lemna polyrhiza var. concolor | Kurz | J. Bot. 5: 115 (1867) |
| Spirodela polyrhiza var. masonii | Daubs | Illinois Biol. Monogr. 34: 13 (1965) |
| Spirodela atropurpurea | Montandon | Guide Bot. Sundgau 309 (1868) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | giant duckweed |
| English | great duckmeat |
| English | great duckweed |
| English | greater duckweed |
| Spanish | lenteja de agua |
| Arabic | عدس الماء |
| Azerbaijani | adi üzgəcotu |
| Belarusian | Многакарэннік звычайны |
| Bulgarian | многокоренчеста спиродела |
| Czech | závitka mnohokořenná |
| Welsh | llinad mawr |
| German | vielwurzelige teichlinse |
| German | vielwurzlige teichlinse |
| Estonian | hulgajuurine vesilääts |
| Persian | عدسک آبی پرریشه |
| Finnish | isolimaska |
| Finnish | silmuisolimaska |
| French | lenticule à plusieurs racines |
| French | lentille deau à plusieurs racines |
| Upper Sorbian | mnohokorjenaty křěk |
| Armenian | Բադիճուռ |
| Armenian | բազմարմատիկ |
| Icelandic | vatnadoppa |
| Japanese | 浮草 |
| Japanese | 萍 |
| Japanese | ウキクサ |
| Korean | 개구리밥 |
| Lithuanian | daugiašakė maurė |
| Macedonian | Меѓукоренеста спиродела |
| Dutch | veelwortelig kroos |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | storandemat |
| Punjab | بطخ بوٹی |
| Slovak | spirodelka mnohokoreňová |
| Swedish | stor andmat |
| Thai | แหนเป็ดใหญ่ |
| Chinese | 紫背浮萍 |
| Chinese | 水萍 |
| Chinese | 紫萍 |
| Chinese | 浮萍 |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
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Macaronesia
- Madeira
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Northeast Tropical Africa
- Chad
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Northern Africa
- Egypt
- Morocco
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South Tropical Africa
- Malawi
- Mozambique
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Southern Africa
- Botswana
- Free State
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West Tropical Africa
- Benin
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West-central Tropical Africa
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East Tropical Africa
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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Caucasus
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China
- China North-central
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- Manchuria
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Eastern Asia
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Middle Asia
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Russian Far East
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Siberia
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Western Asia
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Malesia
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Indian Subcontinent
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Australia
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Eastern Europe
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Middle Europe
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Northern Europe
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Southeastern Europe
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Southwestern Europe
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Eastern Europe
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Northern America click to expand
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Eastern Canada
- New Brunswick
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Mexico
- Mexican Pacific Islands
- Mexico Central
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North-central U.S.A.
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Northeastern U.S.A.
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Northwestern U.S.A.
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Southwestern U.S.A.
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Western Canada
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Eastern Canada
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Pacific click to expand
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North-central Pacific
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North-central Pacific
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Caribbean
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Central America
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- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
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Western South America
- Colombia
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Caribbean
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000313527 |
| UNII | BJS9J628MG |
| Florida Plant Atlas | 947 |
| Flora of Alabama | 4387 |
| Canadensys | 6493 |
| USDA Plants | SPPO |
| Tropicos | 18100004 |
| INPN | 124707 |
| Flora of Italy | 7870 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:526250-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-194600 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 814207 |
| Observations.org | 7512 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 29656 |
| NBN Atlas | NHMSYS0000463934 |
| Nature Serve | 2.145456 |
| IUCN Red List | 164229 |
| IPNI | 526250-1 |
| iNaturalist | 57867 |
| GBIF | 4097481 |
| Freebase | /m/0crj3qv |
| WisFlora | 5140 |
| EPPO | SPIPO |
| Elurikkus | 466259 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 11091 |
| USDA GRIN | 400337 |
| Wikipedia | Spirodela_polyrhiza |
| CMAUP | NPO25547 |
| Plantarium | 36524 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_024713555.1 | Salk_sp9512.v2 | Chromosome | The Salk Institute for Biological Studies | 2022-10-03 | 60 | 133.94 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty acid esters / Fatty acid methyl esters | |||||
| Methyl Laurate | 8139 | Click to see CCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)OC | 214.34 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Methyl Palmitate | 8181 | Click to see | 270.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty alcohols | |||||
| Methyl 12-hydroxystearate | 8840 | Click to see | 314.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty amides | |||||
| Erucamide | 5365371 | Click to see CCCCCCCCC=CCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)N | 337.60 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Oleamide | 5283387 | Click to see CCCCCCCCC=CCCCCCCCC(=O)N | 281.50 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavones | |||||
| Apigenin | 5280443 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)O | 270.24 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Luteolin | 5280445 | Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)O)O | 286.24 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid C-glycosides | |||||
| Isovitexin | 162350 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid C-glycosides / Flavonoid 8-C-glycosides | |||||
| Homo-orientin | 5382105 | Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(O2)C(=C(C=C3O)O)C4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O | 448.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Orientin | 5281675 | Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(O2)C(=C(C=C3O)O)C4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O | 448.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Vitexin | 5280441 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-7-O-glycosides | |||||
| 5-hydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-[(2S,4S,5S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxychromen-4-one | 44257792 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O | 432.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Apigenin 7-O-glucoside | 5280704 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Apigenin-7-O-Glucoside | 12304093 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O | 432.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Luteolin 7-O-glucoside | 5280637 | Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O)O | 448.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Npc85473 | 5385553 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |