Lemna aequinoctialis
Common name
tropical duckweed
Family
Araceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Non-resident Native – Coloniser | Qualifiers: SO
Brief description
Tiny, surface floating aquatic plant with bright green plate-like leaves (3 × 2 mm) that have a pale underside and one root per leaf.
Distribution
Only collected once from Auckland Zoo.
Habitat
Clear, still fertile water including, troughs, dams, drains and backwaters.
Detailed description
Platelets usually with bright green uppersides, paler undersides and one root per platelet. A characteristic of this species is the single root that arises from a winged sheath.
Similar taxa
The native Lemna disperma is very similar but the root does not arise from a winged sheath. Landoltia has two or more roots arising from each platelet. Watermeal (Wolffia australiana) is much smaller and lacking roots. Azolla is an aquatic fern and has scale like leaves that overlap.
Flowering
Unknown
Flower colours
Green
Fruiting
Unknown
Life cycle
These tiny plants are readily spread by waterfowl.
Year naturalised
2010
Origin
Throughout the warmer parts of the world, including northern Australia
Reason for introduction
Probably a contaminant of imported plants or animals.
Control techniques
Difficult to control once established.
Attribution
Factsheet prepared by Paul Champion and Deborah Hofstra (NIWA).
References and further reading
Crawford DJ, Landolt E, Les DH, Kimball RT. 2001. Allozyme studies in Lemnaceae. Taxon 50(4): 987–999. https://doi.org/10.2307/1224716.