Which plant often forms mats with watermeal due to its reproductive habits?

Lemna minor is a small floating aquatic plant commonly known as duckweed. Its reproductive habits involve rapid vegetative reproduction through budding, allowing it to form dense mats on the water surface. This growth habit enables Lemna minor to multiply quickly and cover the surface of bodies of water, often in association with watermeal, which is one of the smallest flowering plants. The interaction between these two plants is facilitated by similar environmental preferences, such as nutrient-rich waters, promoting the formation of extensive mats.

In contrast, the other choices do not exhibit the same reproductive characteristics or growth patterns that lead to the formation of mats alongside watermeal. For instance, Nymphaea odorata (water lily) grows differently, often as larger, isolated plants rather than in expansive floating mats. Pistia stratiotes, commonly known as water lettuce, also floats but typically has a more rosette-like structure and does not reproduce in the same manner as Lemna minor. Ceratophyllum demersum, or coontail, is submerged and does not interact with the water surface in a way that creates mats like those formed by Lemna minor and watermeal. Thus, the rapid propagation of Lemna minor is what makes it a key player in creating