Najas minorAll.

Brittle NaiadSlender Naiadbrittle waternymph

WFO wfo-0000769553 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Najas minor, photographed by Grzegorz Grzejszczak
fig. a Grzegorz Grzejszczak, CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2021-09-04 / obs. 186762315
Najas minor, photographed by Alexander Dubynin
fig. b Alexander Dubynin, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 155070970
Najas minor, photographed by John Abrams
fig. c John Abrams, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 96816635
Najas minor, photographed by Natalie Waddell-Rutter
fig. d Natalie Waddell-Rutter, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 85884088
Najas minor, photographed by Summit Metro Parks
fig. e Summit Metro Parks, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 4076176
Najas minor, photographed by Summit Metro Parks
fig. f Summit Metro Parks, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 5524996
Najas minor, photographed by kent ozment
fig. g kent ozment, CC0 1.0 / obs. 162069864
Najas minor, photographed by Summit Metro Parks
fig. h Summit Metro Parks, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 95949161

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 69 botanical countries

Regions where Najas minor is native: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Amur, Buryatiya, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Irkutsk, Japan, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Lebanon-Syria, Manchuria, Mongolia, Nansei-shoto, North Caucasus, Palestine, Primorye, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, West Siberia, Xinjiang, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Czechia-Slovakia, East European Russia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Northwest European Russia, NW. Balkan Pen., Poland, Portugal, Romania, South European Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine AlgeriaEgyptLibyaMoroccoTunisiaAfghanistanAmurBuryatiyaChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastHainanInner MongoliaIranIraqIrkutskJapanKazakhstanKhabarovskKrasnoyarskLebanon-SyriaManchuriaMongoliaNorth CaucasusPalestinePrimoryeTadzhikistanTaiwanTranscaucasusTürkiyeUzbekistanWest SiberiaXinjiangAssamBangladeshIndiaMyanmarNepalPakistanPhilippinesSri LankaVietnamAustriaBaltic StatesBelarusBelgiumBulgariaCentral European RussiaCzechia-SlovakiaEast European RussiaFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryItalyNetherlandsNorthwest European RussiaNW. Balkan Pen.PolandPortugalRomaniaSouth European RussiaSpainSwitzerlandTürkiye-in-EuropeUkraine KoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.
Native distribution of Najas minor, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
Amur AMU
Buryatiya BRY
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
China Southeast CHS
Hainan CHH
Inner Mongolia CHI
Iran IRN
Iraq IRQ
Irkutsk IRK
Japan JAP
Kazakhstan KAZ
Khabarovsk KHA
Korea KOR
Krasnoyarsk KRA
Lebanon-Syria LBS
Manchuria CHM
Mongolia MON
Nansei-shoto NNS
North Caucasus NCS
Palestine PAL
Primorye PRM
Tadzhikistan TZK
Taiwan TAI
Transcaucasus TCS
Türkiye TUR
Uzbekistan UZB
West Siberia WSB
Xinjiang CHX
Austria AUT EUROPE
Baltic States BLT
Belarus BLR
Belgium BGM
Bulgaria BUL
Central European Russia RUC
Czechia-Slovakia CZE
East European Russia RUE
France FRA
Germany GER
Greece GRC
Hungary HUN
Italy ITA
Netherlands NET
Northwest European Russia RUW
NW. Balkan Pen. YUG
Poland POL
Portugal POR
Romania ROM
South European Russia RUS
Spain SPA
Switzerland SWI
Türkiye-in-Europe TUE
Ukraine UKR
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Assam ASS
Bangladesh BAN
India IND
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Sri Lanka SRL
Vietnam VIE
Algeria ALG AFRICA
Egypt EGY
Libya LBY
Morocco MOR
Tunisia TUN

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 13 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Caulinia fragilis Willd.
  • Caulinia minor (All.) Coss. & Germ.
  • Fluvialis minor (All.) Pers.
  • Ittnera minor (All.) C.C.Gmel.
  • Najas dichotoma Roxb.
  • Najas fragilis (Willd.) Delile
  • Najas minor f. intermedia (Ces.) Bolzon
  • Najas minor var. intermedia Ces.
  • Najas minor var. longifolia R.Corti
  • Najas minor var. spinosa Rendle
  • Najas moshanensis N.Z.Wang
  • Najas subulata Thuill.
  • Najas ternata Roxb. ex Griff.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.