''Halophila'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the or ...

es in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Hydrocharitaceae Hydrocharitaceae is a flowering plant family including 16 known genera with a total of ca 135 known species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016), that including a number of species of aquatic plant, for instance the tape-grasses, the well known Canadian ...

'', the tape-grasses. It was described as a genus in 1806. The number of its contained species, and its own placement in the order

Alismatales The Alismatales (alismatids) are an order of flowering plants including about 4,500 species. Plants assigned to this order are mostly Tropical vegetation, tropical or Aquatic plant, aquatic. Some grow in fresh water, some in marine habitats. ...

, has evolved.

Description

These oceanic herbs grow underwater and have creeping stoloniferous stems and leafy nodes. 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). The flowers are unisexual. The male flowers are borne on stems. The parts occur in multiples of three along a single row. 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. The fruit is included in the bract surrounding the inflorescence (the spathe) and crowned by a beak. They have many seeds and thick embryos.

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. It is found growing off the coasts of Africa, India, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Naming

The Latin specific epithet ''halophila'' refers to salt loving.

Species

Species accepted by the

Kew Botanical Garden Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

. # ' - southern Australia # ''Halophila baillonii'' - Caribbean, North and South America # '' Halophila beccarii'' - South + East + Southeast Asia # '' Halophila capricorni'' - New Caledonia, islands in Coral Sea # ''

Halophila decipiens ''Halophila decipiens'', commonly known as Caribbean seagrass or paddle grass, is a seagrass in the family Hydrocharitaceae. It grows underwater on sandy or muddy sea floors in shallow parts of tropical seas. Description ''Halophila'' is the onl ...

'' - shores of Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean; Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico # ''

Halophila engelmannii ''Halophila engelmannii'' is a species of seagrass in the Hydrocharitaceae family. It is referred to by the common names star grass and Engelmann's seagrass and grows underwater on shallow sandy or muddy sea floors. It is native to the Bahamas, t ...

'' - Mexico, Costa Rica, Bahamas, Caymans, Cuba, United States ( PR, FL, LA, TX) # '' Halophila gaudichaudii'' - Indian Ocean, western Pacific # ''

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

'' - Hawaii # ''

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

'' - Japan, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Caroline Is, Sri Lanka # ''

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

'' - Japan # ''

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

'' - Indian Ocean, western Pacific # ''

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

'' (syn. ''Halophila japonica'')- Korea, Japan # ''

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

'' -

Nansei-shoto The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefe ...

# ''

Halophila ovalis ''Halophila ovalis'', commonly known as paddle weed, spoon grass or dugong grass, is a seagrass in the family Hydrocharitaceae. It is a small herbaceous plant that occurs in sea beds and other saltwater environments in the Indo-Pacific. The fir ...

'' - Red Sea, Indian Ocean, western Pacific # '' Halophila spinulosa'' - Southeast Asia, North Australia, New Guinea # ''

Halophila stipulacea ''Halophila stipulacea'' is a species of seagrass in the Hydrocharitaceae family. It is native to the Indian Ocean that spread into the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean after the opening of the Suez Canal. This seagrass is widespread through the ...

'' - Red Sea, Indian Ocean, invasive in the Caribbean # '' Halophila sulawesii'' - Sulawesi # '' Halophila tricostata'' - Queensland

References

External links

*
Western Australia Seagrass web page for Halophila
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2688882 Hydrocharitaceae genera