A Comparative Study of the Morphology of Lemna Gibba L. And Lemna Minor L.

Abstract

Fifteen strains of subgenus Lemna, collected in ponds and ditches in the western part of The Netherlands. strain G3 (previously described as Lemna gibba) and strains 6573 and F (previously described as Lemna minor) were aseptically cultured on M-medium in the presence and absence of EDDHA. When cultivated on EDDHA medium the strains showed a marked variation in the degree of gibbosity. whereas in the absence of the chelate all strains were more or less flat. The strains could be divided into two groups as far as the degree of gibbosity in the presence of EDDHA was concerned. There were no consistent differences in morphology between the two groups if cultured on the nutrient medium devoid of EDDHA. In the light of the present investigation distinction between Lemna gibba and Lemna minor seems not always possible.

Species interactions in three Lemnaceae species growing along a gradient of zinc pollution

“…gibba and L . minor fronds cannot be distinguished by eye (De Lange & Pieterse, 1973) but the differentiation between L . minor and L .…”

“…They float on the water surface and are very similar in terms of their morphology. In particular, non-gibbous L. gibba and L. minor fronds cannot be distinguished by eye (De Lange & Pieterse, 1973) but the differentiation between L. minor and L. turionifera can be equally challenging (Senevirathna et al, 2021). Therefore, we separated the species using a floating ring (Figure S4).…”

New Insights into Interspecific Hybridization in Lemna L. Sect. Lemna (Lemnaceae Martinov)

“…Variations in frond morphology in L. gibba may be seasonal. but the occurrence of mixed populations of gibbous and permanently 'flat forms' of L. gibba (L. minor-like) has been repeatedly reported in The Netherlands, together with supposed transition forms between the two species, which could not be assigned with certainty to either of the two [9,10].…”

High tolerance to zinc but limited evidence for local adaptation in the aquatic plant species Lemna gibba/minor

“…We consider all populations used in this study as belonging to the Lemna gibba/minor species complex. L. minor and L. gibba have inconsistent vegetative morphologies and, aside from the occasional gibbosity in L. gibba, their identification cannot be determined with certainty without genotyping (De Lange and Pieterse 1973, Kandeler 1975, de Lange and Westinga 1979, De Lange et al 1981). In addition, despite molecular genotyping being the standard for duckweed classification, even these markers are sometimes not enough to differentiate between Lemna species (Braglia et al 2021).…”