Why Is Duckweed Unusual?
Duckweeds (the family of Lemnaceae) are a group of aquatic flowering plants. They are small and simple compared with other flowering plants, and they exhibit extremely rapid growth.
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Size
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Duckweed is the world's smallest flowering plant, and it produces the world's smallest fruit. Duckweed fruits are smaller than the individual cells of many plants.
Habitat
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Duckweed lives free-floating on the surface of ponds, wetlands and lakes. It can be found worldwide.
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Problems
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Duckweed reproduces rapidly and can become invasive; the area of a lake covered by duckweed can double in a few days. Lake Maracaibo, the largest lake in Venezuela, has been taken over by duckweed, and millions of dollars have been spent in attempts to control it.
Benefits
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As duckweed grows, it rapidly absorbs nutrients from the water. For this reason, duckweed is used to absorb nitrates and ammonia from polluted water. Because it is so quick and easy to grow in enormous quantities, duckweed is also used as feed for livestock and is a good candidate for use as biofuel.
Research
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Because duckweeds are small and easy to grow in the lab, scientists use them to study basic plant development and biochemistry.
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