Halophila

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Halophila is a genus of seagrasses in the family Hydrocharitaceae, the tape-grasses. It was described as a genus in 1806.[2] The number of its contained species, and its own placement in the order Alismatales, has evolved.

Description

These oceanic herbs grow underwater and have creeping stoloniferous stems and leafy nodes.[3] Unlike other seagrasses, the leaves of some species of Halophila do not have basal sheaths (i.e. the bases of the leaves do not wrap around the stem to form a sheath).[4]

The flowers are unisexual. The male flowers are borne on stems. The parts occur in multiples of three along a single row.[3]

The female flowers do not have stalks. They are divided into three segments. The single chambered ovary has a long beak. The three style are long and simple. The ovules are attached on top of three placentas.[3]

The fruit is included in the bract surrounding the inflorescence (the spathe) and crowned by a beak. They have many seeds and thick embryos.[3]

Distribution

This genus is widespread in tropical waters, the distribution range also extends to subtropical and temperate waters primarily the Indian and Pacific Oceans but also the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and the Gulf of Mexico.[1] It is found growing off the coasts of Africa, India, Australia and the Pacific Islands.[3]

Naming

The Latin specific epithet halophila refers to salt loving.[5]

Species

Species accepted by the Kew Botanical Garden.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  2. ^ Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars 1806. Genera Nova Madagascariensia 2
  3. ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Phillips, Edwin Percy (1951). The genera of South African flowering plants. South Africa: Government Printer.
  4. ^ Halophila engelmannii star grass Script error: No such module "webarchive". Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Stearn, William (1972). A Gardenerer's Dictionary of Plant Names. London: Cassell. ISBN 0304937215.

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