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cymodocea

Scientific Name: Cymodocea serrulata

Family: Cymodoceaceae

Category: Monocot

Growth:

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Cymodocea: A Genus of Seagrass

Cymodocea is a genus of seagrasses belonging to the family Cymodoceaceae. These plants are adapted to live fully submerged in marine environments.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Cymodocea K.D.Knig, 1805
  • Family: Cymodoceaceae
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Synonyms:
    • Cymodocea aequorea K.D.Koenig, 1805 (for Cymodocea nodosa)

Distribution and Habitat

Cymodocea species have a wide distribution in warm oceans, especially in the Indo-Pacific region and the Mediterranean Sea. Specific distribution details include:

  • Cymodocea rotundata: Wide Indo-Pacific distribution, from southern Japan to Hainan, China.
  • Cymodocea serrulata: Wide Indo-Pacific distribution, from southern Japan, Taiwan and Hainan, China.
  • Cymodocea nodosa: Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, ranging from mid-Portugal to the south. It is also common in the Canary Islands.
  • Cymodocea angustata: Endemic to tropical Western Australia.

They often form meadows in shallow, submerged areas, sometimes down to 10 meters deep, and can be found in habitats like salt-pan channels.

Morphological Characteristics

Key features of Cymodocea species include:

  • Leaves: Strap-like or ribbon-like.
  • Rhizomes: Branched and rooting at nodes. Can be smooth. Some species have monopodial rhizomes.

Specific characteristics of individual species:

  • Cymodocea rotundata: Flat, strap-like leaves (2-4mm wide) with rounded, smooth tips. Smooth rhizome with scars from well-developed leaf sheaths.
  • Cymodocea serrulata: Long ribbon-like leaves (0.5-1cm wide and 7-15cm long) with blunt tips.

Cymodocea has short stems and internodes 2-9 cm long.