The tiniest flowering plants all are assigned to the family of duckweeds (Subfamily Lemnoideae of Family Araceae). These are floating aquatics, found throughout the world because the plantlets are easily transported by birds, other animals, and humans. Each plant consists of a flat or raised green body, generally a few millimeters across or smaller, with buds of new plants forming along the margins. The clones break apart as the plant body doubles every couple days under favorable growing conditions, so that a quiet pond may become covered with individuals within several weeks of active growth. There are four genera in the family (some authors recognize six genera). The relatively large plant body of Spirodela species have two or more roots, Lemna species form a single root, and Wolffia and Wolffiella never form roots.

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