Common Name: EEL-GRASS FAMILY 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. eFlora Treatment Author: Robert F. Thorne, Robert R. Haynes, C. Barre Hellquist & Gordon Leppig Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti.
Common Name: EEL-GRASS Stem: < 3 m. Leaf: 0.5--1.5(2) m, (0.5)1--18.5 mm wide. Inflorescence: enclosed by subtending, membranous, sheath-like leaf base; staminate, pistillate flowers alternate. Pistillate Flower: ovary tapered to short style. Etymology: (Greek: from ribbon-like leaves) Note: Important food source for marine animals, some aboriginal humans; Zostera asiatica Miki reported for California (Coyer et al., Dean et al.), possibly naturalized, but may not be distinct from Zostera marina. Reference: Coyer et al. 2008 Ann Bot 101:73--87; Dean et al. 2008 Madroño 55:93--112 Unabridged Reference: Kato, Y. [et al. 2003], Aioi, K., Omori, Y., Takahata, N., & Satta, Y. 2003. Phylogenetic analyses of Zostera species based on rbcL and matK sequences: Implications for the origin and diversification of seagrasses in Japanese waters. Genes Genet. Syst. 78: 329--342; Les, D. H., Moody, M. L., Jacobs, S. W. L., & Bayer, R. J. 2001. Systematics and taxonomy of Australian seagrasses (family Zosteraceae). P. 123, in Botany 2001: Plants and People, Abstracts. [Albuquerque.]; Nomme & Harrison 1991 Canad J Bot 69:1984--1990; Phillips & Echeverria 1990 Pacific Sci 44:130--134
Zostera pacifica S. Watson
NATIVE Habit: Perennial herb; roots 5--20 per node. Leaf: sheath closed, without membranous flaps; blade to 110 cm, 12--18.5 mm wide, tip generally notched. Inflorescence: staminate flowers not subtended by bract (or lowermost subtended by 1 bract). Ecology: Common. Subtidal waters; Elevation: rooted generally 4--17 m below mean low tide. Bioregional Distribution: NCo, CCo, SCo, ChI; Distribution Outside California: to British Columbia. Flowering Time: (May)Aug Note: Probably indistinct from Zostera marina, yet recognition supported by microsatellite data (Coyer et al. 2008). Synonyms: Zostera asiatica Miki Jepson eFlora Author: Robert F. Thorne, Robert R. Haynes, C. Barre Hellquist & Gordon Leppig Reference: Coyer et al. 2008 Ann Bot 101:73--87; Dean et al. 2008 Madroño 55:93--112 Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Previous taxon: Zostera marina
Citation for this treatment: Robert F. Thorne, Robert R. Haynes, C. Barre Hellquist & Gordon Leppig 2012, Zostera pacifica, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=48951, accessed on April 16, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on April 16, 2024.
No expert verified images found for Zostera pacifica.
Geographic subdivisions for Zostera pacifica:
NCo, CCo, SCo, ChI
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(Note: any qualifiers in the taxon distribution description, such as 'northern', 'southern', 'adjacent' etc., are not reflected in the map above, and in some cases indication of a taxon in a subdivision is based on a single collection or author-verified occurence).
Data provided by the participants of the
Consortium of California Herbaria.
MAP LEGEND View all CCH records All markers link to CCH specimen records. The original determination is shown in the popup window.
Blue markers indicate specimens that map to one of the expected Jepson geographic subdivisions (see left map). Purple markers indicate specimens collected from a garden, greenhouse, or other non-wild location.
Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
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CCH collections by month
Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa, if there are more than 1 infraspecific taxon in CA.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time (fruiting time in some monocot genera).
