Submerged marine, dioecious perennials with long, woody, creeping, jointed sympodial rhizomes, bearing an erect leafy stem at each 4th internode
Roots
emerging from preceding 3rd internode
Stems
erect, usually unbranched with prominent circular leaf scars
Leaves
6-10 per stem, in distichous apical tufts, early deciduous, leaf sheath folded, open, shed together with linear blade
Flowers
solitary on short side branches, enclosed by 4 leaf-like bracts
Male flower
with 2 fused apiculate stamens, becoming detached at anthesis, anther thecae dehiscing and pollen released in 8 pendulous filamentous bundles
Female flower
consisting of 2 carpels, with the 2 short styles each divided into 2 long, subulate, stigmatic lobes
Fruit
with 1 or 2 carpels developing, surrounded by inner fleshy bract; often viviparous; seedling free-floating
Nomenclature:
Thalassodendron
Hartog
Den Hartog: 186 (1970)
Bennett: 228 (1901)
Cook: 66 (1990)
Cymodocea
K.Koenig
Koenig: 96 (1805)
Den Hartog: 187 (1970)
Obermeyer: 73 (1966)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species 2, coasts of E Africa, E Malaysia, and W Australia
Southern Africa
: Species 1:
Thalassodendron ciliatum
(Forssk.) Hartog, widespread in western Indian Ocean and recorded from the east coast of Africa as far south as Kosi Bay, N KwaZulu-Natal
References:
BENNETT, A. 1901.
Naiadaceae
.
Flora of tropical Africa
8
COOK, C.D.K. 1990.
Aquatic plant book
. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague
DEN HARTOG, C. 1970.
The seagrasses of the world
. North-Holland Publishing Company, Amsterdam
OBERMEYER, A.A. 1966.
Zannichelliaceae
.
Flora of southern Africa
1
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