Butterfly-leaf vs Common Duckweed

Adenolobus garipensis compared with Lemna minor

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Butterfly-leaf	Common Duckweed
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Alismatales (Alismatales)
Family	Fabaceae	Araceae
Genus	Adenolobus	Lemna
Species	Adenolobus garipensis	Lemna minor

Evolutionary Relationship

Butterfly-leaf and Common Duckweed share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Magnoliophyta. (Flowering Plants)

Conservation Status

Butterfly-leaf

LC — Least Concern

Common Duckweed

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Butterfly-leaf	Common Duckweed
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Butterfly-leaf

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common Duckweed

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Guyana).

Butterfly-leaf

The Butterfly-leaf (Adenolobus garipensis) is a species in the genus Adenolobus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common Duckweed

<em>Lemna minor</em>, commonly known as common duckweed, is a tiny floating aquatic plant in the family Araceae, recognized as one of the smallest flowering plants on Earth. Classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, the species enjoys a broad distribution across Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, colonizing a diverse array of habitats including grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated land with access to standing or slow-moving water. It typically inhabits ponds, lakes, ditches, and quiet streams, forming extensive green mats on the water surface. <em>Lemna minor</em> reproduces predominantly through asexual budding, allowing populations to expand rapidly under favorable conditions. The species provides vital ecosystem services, stabilizing nutrient cycles, reducing algal blooms through competition, and offering food and shelter for aquatic invertebrates, fish, and waterfowl. Due to its sensitivity to water quality, it is frequently used as a bioindicator in ecotoxicological research. Common duckweed has also attracted scientific interest for its potential in wastewater treatment and as a high-protein animal feed supplement. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.