Brazilian Watermeal vs Rootless Duckweed

Wolffia brasiliensis compared with Wolffia arrhiza

Key Differences

• Brazilian Watermeal is Least Concern while Rootless Duckweed is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brazilian Watermeal	Rootless Duckweed
Kingdom same	Plantae (thực vật)	Plantae (thực vật)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order same	Alismatales (Bộ Trạch tả)	Alismatales (Bộ Trạch tả)
Family same	Araceae	Araceae
Genus same	Wolffia	Wolffia
Species	Wolffia brasiliensis	Wolffia arrhiza

Evolutionary Relationship

Brazilian Watermeal and Rootless Duckweed share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Wolffia.

Conservation Status

Brazilian Watermeal

LC — Least Concern

Rootless Duckweed

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brazilian Watermeal	Rootless Duckweed
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brazilian Watermeal

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Canada, and Colombia.

Rootless Duckweed

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Brazilian Watermeal

The Brazilian Watermeal (Wolffia brasiliensis) is a species in the genus Wolffia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇦 Canada