Wolffia arrhiza
(L.)Horkel. ex Wimm.
Araceae
The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.
Common Name: Least Duckweed
General Information
Wolffia arrhiza is a Evergreen Perennial up to 0.01 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
204- Title
- Flora of Canada
- Publication
-
- Author
- Livingstone. B.
- Publisher
- National Museums of Canada
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0-660-00025-3
- Description
- In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.
Range
Europe, including Britain, to Asia.
Habitat
Floating on quiet waters[
204- Title
- Flora of Canada
- Publication
-
- Author
- Livingstone. B.
- Publisher
- National Museums of Canada
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0-660-00025-3
- Description
- In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.
]. A rare native of southern Britain, growing in still waters[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Perennial |
| Height | 0.01 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A pond plant, floating on the surface of the water, it requires a sunny position in still water that is rich in nitrates and lime[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
At the limit of its climatic range in Britain and probably best grown in a cold water aquarium[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. It over-winters in temperate areas by means of resting buds which sink to the bottom of the pond in the late autumn and rise again in the spring[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
One of the smallest flowering plants in the world, it is cultivated as a vegetable in Burma, Laos and Thailand[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. It has been recommended for commercial cultivation, especially in tropical areas, because of its rapid multiplication and high nutritional value[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. Plant densities of over two million plants per square metre have been found[
274- Title
- Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas
- Publication
-
- Author
- Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J
- Website
- http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm
- Publisher
- Botanical Research Institute, Texas.
- Year
- 1999
- ISBN
- 1-889878-01-4
- Description
- An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - cooked. An excellent flavour, they taste somewhat like a sweet cabbage[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The leaves are very nutritious, containing about 20% protein, 44% carbohydrate. 5% fat and are rich in vitamins A, B2, B6, C and nicotinic acid[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - we have no information on this species but, since it can spread rapidly by division, it really needs no extra help once it is in a pond.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
