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Zosteraceae Habit: Perennial herb (annual), submersed marine aquatic, rhizomed, glabrous; monoecious or dioecious. Stem: flat, leafy, creeping or short with wide, thick base. Leaf: alternate, 2-ranked or tufted, < 2 m; sheath open or closed; blade linear, ribbon-like, tip entire to notched; stipules 0. Inflorescence: axillary or terminal spike, of limited distribution on pl, +- flat, enclosed by membranous, leaf-like bract in flower, also in fruit or not; flowers many, 2-rowed on 1 side of axis, each embedded in axis, enclosed by translucent, scale-like bract or not; peduncle not elongating. Staminate Flower: perianth 0; stamen 1, anther generally sessile, 2-chambered; pollen thread-like, < 2 mm. Pistillate Flower: perianth 0; ovary 1, chamber 1, ovule 1, style 1, stigmas 2. Fruit: +- achene. Genera In Family: 3 genera, +- 18 species: seacoasts, worldwide; some species, especially Zostera marina, source of food for marine animals, some aboriginal humans. Jepson eFlora Author: Robert F. Thorne, Robert R. Haynes, C. Barre Hellquist & Gordon Leppig Reference: Haynes 2000 FNANM 22:90--94 Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti. Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Key to Zosteraceae Previous taxon: Hedychium flavescens Next taxon: Phyllospadix |