[4] Spirodela polyrhiza is a perennial aquatic plant usually growing in dense colonies, forming a mat on the water surface.

[6] As this species lives in ponds and slow-moving water bodies, differs developmentally from terrestrial plants in morphology and physiology.

[7] In fall and winter it switches into a dormant phase represented by the turions due to nutrition starvation and freezing temperatures.

[citation needed] Because of its fast growth, direct contact with media and small genome size (~150 Mb), S. polyrhiza is an ideal system for biofuels, bioremediation, and carbon cycling.

Transmission electron microscopy of turions showed in comparison to fronds shrunken vacuoles, smaller intercellular space, and abundant starch granules surrounded by thylakoid membranes.

[6] Spirodela polyrhiza can be used for bioremediation, removing toxic substances from aquatic environment as well as cleaning eutrophic waters, especially in wastewater treatment plants.

[citation needed] Because of its capability to hyperaccumulate heavy metals and its high uptake of nutrients from the water, S. polyrhiza is used for bioremediation.

The main pollutants it can be used to remediate are arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg)[13] and common wastewater nutrients, like sulphate (SO42-), phosphate (PO43-) and nitrate (NO3−).

Spirodela polyrhiza showed the highest accumulation factor compared to Lemna gibba and L. minor, which were also investigated.

[15] Despite environmental problems associated with production and competition from human and animal feed, corn is the main raw material for bioethanol.

Because of sanitary problems and the risk of heavy metal accumulation, it is not yet used for feeding in larger animal husbandry systems.

[19] For tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.), greater weight gains were found when 30% of the fish meal in the feed was replaced with S.

[21] Although other duckweed species, such as Wolffia arrhiza, are consumed by people in rural areas, S.polyrhiza is not cultivated for human consumption.