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Taxon  Report  
Spirodela polyrhiza  (L.) Schleid.
Giant duckmeat
Spirodela polyrhiza is a perennial herb that is native to California.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Spirodela
Family: Araceae  
(Lemnaceae)
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Wetlands: Occurs in wetlands

Communities: wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + POWO
Alternate Names:
PLANTSSpirodela polyrrhiza
Information about  Spirodela polyrhiza from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

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ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Cultivation: Large scale cultivation is done in outdoor water tanks, mostly in connection with wastewater treatment. Tanks are fed with wastewater and the floating duckweed is harvested from the surface. It is then further used as a biofuel from industrial wastewater or as animal feed from agricultural wastewater treatment facilities. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/16/2025).