Halophila ovalis
Encyclopedia
Halophila ovalis is a seagrass
in the family Hydrocharitaceae
, a common name is paddle weed. It is a small herbaceous plant that occurs in sea beds and other saltwater environments.
The plant occurs around reefs, estuaries, islands, inter-tidal areas, on soft sand or mud substrates. The leaves are ovate in outline, appearing on stems that emerge from rhizome
beneath the sand. The roots get up to 800 mm long and covered in fine root hairs. It is often found in meadows that dominate a sand bank or other patch of sea floor. The arrangement of the plant, above and below ground, provides stability to the sea floor and habitat for other species. It is used as food by dugong
, as is therefore known as dugong grass.
The first description of the species was by Robert Brown
as Caulinia ovalis, this was transferred to the genus Halophila
by Joseph Dalton Hooker
in Flora Tasmaniae (1858).
The species name Halophila ovata is now regarded as a synonym of this species.
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
in the family Hydrocharitaceae
Hydrocharitaceae
Hydrocharitaceae is a flowering plant family that includes a number of species of aquatic plant, broadly called the Tape-grasses, and includes the well known Canadian Waterweed and Frog's Bit.The family includes both fresh and marine aquatics...
, a common name is paddle weed. It is a small herbaceous plant that occurs in sea beds and other saltwater environments.
The plant occurs around reefs, estuaries, islands, inter-tidal areas, on soft sand or mud substrates. The leaves are ovate in outline, appearing on stems that emerge from rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
beneath the sand. The roots get up to 800 mm long and covered in fine root hairs. It is often found in meadows that dominate a sand bank or other patch of sea floor. The arrangement of the plant, above and below ground, provides stability to the sea floor and habitat for other species. It is used as food by dugong
Dugong
The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...
, as is therefore known as dugong grass.
The first description of the species was by Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
as Caulinia ovalis, this was transferred to the genus Halophila
Halophila
Halophila is a genus of seagrasses in the family Hydrocharitaceae, the tape-grasses. The number of its contained species, and its own placement in the order Alismatales, has been subject to revision by botanical authors....
by Joseph Dalton Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
in Flora Tasmaniae (1858).
The species name Halophila ovata is now regarded as a synonym of this species.