''Posidonia ostenfeldii'' is a species of

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 ...

that occurs in the southern waters of Australia.

Description

A species of ''

Posidonia ''Posidonia'' is a genus of flowering plants. It contains nine species of marine plants ("seagrass"), found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia. The APG system (1998) and APG II system (2003) accept this ge ...

''. A perennial

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...

herb that appears as clumps on sand in marine habitat. It is found at depths between 1 and 15 metres. The leaf blades are 6–12 mm wide.

Distribution

This species is found in waters around the southern coast of Australia. ''Posidonia ostenfeldii'' is recorded at the edge of the

Esperance Plains Esperance Plains, also known as Eyre Botanical District, is a biogeographic region in southern Western Australia on the south coast between the Avon Wheatbelt and Hampton bioregions, and bordered to the north by the Mallee region. It is a p ...

, the

Archipelago of the Recherche The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles, is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the south coast of Western Australia. The islands stretch from east to west and to off-shore encomp ...

, at the southern coast of Southwest Australia.

Taxonomy

This species is contained by the ''

Posidoniaceae ''Posidonia'' is a genus of flowering plants. It contains nine species of marine plants ("seagrass"), found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia. The APG system (1998) and APG II system (2003) accept this gen ...

'' family, one of eight occurring in southern Australia. The ninth member, ''

Posidonia oceanica ''Posidonia oceanica'', commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free f ...

'', is found in the mediterranean sea. Several related species within ''Posidonia'' are described as the ''Posidonia ostenfeldii'' complex.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5410995 ostenfeldii