Wolffiella

Scientific name

Wolffiella Hegelm.

Common names

mud midget, bog mat

Family

Araceae

Similar genera

Lemna, Wolffia

Native distribution

America, Asia, Africa

Species cultivated

Wolffiella floridana (J.D. Sm.) C.H. Thomps. [synonym of W. gladiata (Hegelm.) Hegelm.]

W. gladiata (Hegelm.) Hegelm.

W. oblonga (Phil.) Hegelm.

W. welwitschii (Hegelm.) Monod [offered under the synonym of Wolffia welwitschii Hegelm.]

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

information not available

Habit

free-floating, minute, thallus-like plant

Brief description

Minute, free-floating on or just below water surface, solitary or clumped. Reduced plant body, undifferentiated into stem and leaf. Roots absent. Fronds thin and ribbon-like, tongue-shaped or broadly ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, spherical to oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
, venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
absent; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
. Daughter fronds in a flat pouch at one end of frondfrond:
(n) (1) a term used to describe the leaves of, e.g., ferns, palms, or duckweeds; (2) a leaf-like organ (as in .e.g. some algae, such as <em>Caulerpa</em>)
. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
minute, solitary or paired, of 1 female and 1 male flower. Flowers produced in budding pouch in middle of frondfrond:
(n) (1) a term used to describe the leaves of, e.g., ferns, palms, or duckweeds; (2) a leaf-like organ (as in .e.g. some algae, such as <em>Caulerpa</em>)
. Membranous spathespathe:
(n) a large bract or bracts subtending and often enclosing an inflorescence
lacking. Dispersal by frondfrond:
(n) (1) a term used to describe the leaves of, e.g., ferns, palms, or duckweeds; (2) a leaf-like organ (as in .e.g. some algae, such as <em>Caulerpa</em>)
budding and seeds.

Natural habitat

still waters of lakes, rivers, and swamps

Additional comments

A genus containing 11 species. Three species are occasionally cultivated, although usually with difficulty, in aquaria and ponds.