Wayne Armstrong's Lemnaceae Plant bodies minute and rootless,
with granular or mealy texture when rubbed between fingers of
hands; generally globoid to ovoid-ellipsoid or cylindrical
(flat-topped in some species); 0.4-1.3 mm long and 0.2-1.0 mm
wide, floating on or partially below w ater surface; veins 0;
pale transparent green throughout or with dark green dorsal
surface; some species punctate with brown pigment cells in
epidermis (visible on dead plants of W. borealis & W.
brasiliensis); solitary or with smaller daugh ter plant attached
at basal end; single, funnel-shaped budding pouch at basal end;
daughter plants produced in basal budding pouch (in most
species, some daughter plants may sink to bottom and function as
overwintering turions); parenchyma without druse o r raphide
crystals of calcium oxalate; one bisexual flower produced inside
dorsal floral cavity, consisting of a single pistil and single
stamen (some authorities consider this to be an inflorescence
with 2 unisexual flowers); pistil situated