Wolffia
Wolffia is a genus of nine to 11 species which include the smallest flowering plants on Earth. Commonly called watermeal or duckweed, these aquatic plants resemble specks of cornmeal floating on the water. Wolffia species are free-floating thalli, green or yellow-green, and without roots. The flower is produced in a depression on the top surface of the plant body. It has one stamen and one pistil. Individuals often float together in pairs or form floating mats with related plants, such as Lemna and Spirodela species. Most species have a very wide distribution across several continents. Wolffia species are composed of about 40% protein on a dry-matter basis, about the same as the soybean, making them a potential high-protein human food source. They have historically been collected from the water and eaten as a vegetable in much of Asia.
Wolffia | |
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Each speck is an individual plant | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Alismatales |
Family: | Araceae |
Subfamily: | Lemnoideae |
Genus: | Wolffia Schleid. |
Species
As of 2020, eleven species are accepted on Kew's Plants of the World Online:[1]
- Wolffia angusta Landolt
- Wolffia arrhiza (L.) Horkel ex Wimm.
- Wolffia australiana (Benth.) Hartog & Plas
- Wolffia borealis (Engelm.) Landolt
- Wolffia brasiliensis Wedd.
- Wolffia columbiana H.Karst.
- Wolffia cylindracea Hegelm.
- Wolffia elongata Landolt
- Wolffia globosa (Roxb.) Hartog & Plas
- Wolffia microscopica (Griff.) Kurz
- Wolffia neglecta Landolt
References
- "Wolffia Horkel ex Schleid". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- Treatment:Lemnaoideae, Wayne P. Armstrong, from The Jepson Manual
- Wolffia Horkel ex Schleid, a USDA Plants Profile
- The Duckweed Genome Project from Rutgers University
- Armstrong, W. (2005). "Wayne Armstrong's treatment of the Lemnaceae". Palomar Community College District. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
- Cross, J.W. (September 6, 2008). "The Charms of Duckweed". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2011-05-01.
- Landolt, E. (1986) Biosystematic investigations in the family of duckweeds (Lemnaceae). Vol. 2. The family of Lemnaceae - A monographic study. Part 1 of the monograph: Morphology; karyology; ecology; geographic distribution; systematic position; nomenclature; descriptions. Veröff. Geobot. Inst., Stiftung Rübel, ETH, Zurich.