Asian watermeal; Wolffia globosa
A tiny aquatic plant, one of the smallest flowering plants. Used in biology and ecology contexts.
Asian watermeal is a very small plant that floats on the water surface.
A lot of Asian watermeal is growing in this pond.
ウキクサ (duckweed) is a more general term for floating aquatic plants, while ミジンコウキクサ refers specifically to Wolffia globosa, a much smaller species.
Katakana spelling is standard for this organism name.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
The name combines 微塵子 (みじんこ, water flea) and 浮草 (うきくさ, duckweed), referring to its tiny size and floating habit. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it is a descriptive compound.