Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

Taxobox

---

image_width = 225px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Alismatales
familia = Hydrocharitaceae
genus = "Hydrocharis"
species = "H. morsus-ranae"
binomial = "Hydrocharis morsus-ranae"
binomial_authority =

"Hydrocharis morsus-ranae" is a flowering plant of the genus "Hydrocharis" in the family Hydrocharitaceae. It bears the common name European frogbit.

It is a small floating plant resembling a small water lily. It has submerged roots, and bears small green and white flowers. The small floating leaves are kidney-shaped and grow in rosettes on the water surface. Frogbit is fast growing, and is native to Europe and parts of Asia.

European frogbit was introduced to areas of Canada in the 1930s, and is now considered a pest as it colonises waterways, forming dense masses of vegetation on the surface. It is now considered an invasive menace in eastern Canada and the northeast USA, and particularly around the Great Lakes, where it threatens native biodiversity.

References

* [http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pubs/up/win00/frogbit.html European Frogbit: Should we be Worried?]