Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Aquatics
Vegetable
Origin
North America, Europe, Asia
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Lemna minor
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
375
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Lakes, Ponds, sluggish streams and rivers
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
1-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
7-1
12*7
Sunset Zone
21,22
H1, H2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Spreading
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
5.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
0.12 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Light Green
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Light Green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong-lanceolate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
-
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
-
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Poorly Drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Cold climate, Salt, Wet Site
Drought
Where to Plant?
In Water
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Plant grows in water
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Aquatic Plant
Average Water
In Spring
Aquatic Plant
Moderate
In Winter
Aquatic Plant
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
-
Neutral
Soil Type
-
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Poorly Drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
-
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
No fertilizers needed
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Red blotch
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Salt
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Insects
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for insects
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Swelling
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
-
Leaves
Other Uses
-
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Water Gardens
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
LEMNA trisulca
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Duckmeat, Frog's Buttons, Ivyleaf Duckweed, Star Duckweed
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
duckweed
पोई
In German
Entengrütze
Malabarspinat
In French
lentille d'eau
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
Lenteja de agua
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
duckweed
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
lentilha-d'água
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
Rzęsa
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
duckweed
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Arales
Caryophyllales
Family
Lemnaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Lemna
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Lemneae
-
Subfamily
Lemnoideae
-
Number of Species
3860
1
27800
👆🏻