Spirodela is a genus of aquatic plants, one of several genera containing plants commonly called duckweed. Spirodela species are members of the Araceae under the APG II system. They were formerly members of the Lemnaceae.
Description
Spirodela species are free-floating plants that have their stem transformed into leaf-like structures called fronds; each plant is represented by a frond with roots, therefore they do not have leaves. Two to five plants may remain connected to each other.
Plants are green, but may turn red due to the presence of anthocyanin.
Certain species of Spirodela overwinter as turions, dormant starchy shoots