Plant: Floating aquatic forb Leaves: leaves reduced to spherical fronds,floating on water's surface, single or 2 to a few cohering in small groups, ovate, 1-8 mm long, 1.3-2 times as long as wide, flat, without a green stalk but with a very small white stipe that often decays; margins entire; nerves 3-5 (the outer ones originating from the lower part of the inner ones), the greatest distance between the laterals near or below the middle; papillae not always distinct (the one near the apex usually larger); upper surface occasionally diffusely reddish; lower surface very seldom slightly reddish (much less than the upper one); largest air spaces up to 0.3 mm wide; the sheath unwinged, the tip mostly rounded; no distinct turions present Flowers: rare, 1-ovulate, the small utricular scale with a narrow opening at the top Fruit: laterally winged. SEEDS: with 8-15 distinct ribs Misc: Mesotrophic to eutrophic, quiet waters; 2100 m (7000 ft); Jun-Aug Notes: root up to 15 cm long REFERENCES: Landolt, Elias. 1992. Lemnaceae. Ariz.-Nev. Acad. Sci. 26(1)2.