Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

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Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Alismatales
Family: Hydrocharitaceae
Genus: Hydrocharis
Species: H. morsus-ranae
Binomial name
Hydrocharis morsus-ranae

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.

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