E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Lemna trisulca L.
ivy-leaved duckweed (star duckweed)
Lemnaceae

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Lemna trisulca
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Fronds annual, usually submersed, oblong to lanceolate, 6-12 mm long, long-stalked, remaining attached in a zig-zag chain, obscurely 3-nerved, the young plants produced from pouches on either side near the junction of the stalk and the plant body.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Green

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Green
Present over the Summer

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

1. Fronds oblong to lanceolate, 6-12 mm long, long-stalked, remaining attached in a zig-zag chain, usually submersed..................Lemna trisulca

1. Fronds elliptic, rounded or broadly egg-shaped, 2-6 mm long, unstalked, quickly becoming detached, floating on the surface...............Lemna minor

Habitat / Range

Ponds and slow-moving streams in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent throughout BC south of 56degreeN, absent on the Queen Charlotte Islands and the mainland coast, infrequent elsewhere in BC east of the Coast-Cascade mountains and S of 55degreeN; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NB and NS and S to VA, AL, AR, TX, NM, AZ, CA and MX; Eurasia, S America.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Lemna trisulca

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	560	1054	1204
Slope Gradient (%)	0	0	0
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]		0
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	7	7	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	E
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	18
Modal BEC Zone Class	SBPS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BG(1), IDF(4), SBPS(13)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Lemnaceae
Flora North America treatment for Lemna trisulca
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-09 11:07:57 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.