Amphibolis
| Sea nymph or wire weed | |
|---|---|
| |
| Amphibolis antarctica[1] | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Cymodoceaceae |
| Genus: | Amphibolis ( Labillardière ) Sonder & Ascherson ex Ascherson
|
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Amphibolis is a
endemic to the western and southern coast of Australia, Amphibolis antarctica and Amphibolis griffithii
, commonly known as sea nymph or wire weed.
The seeds produce an anchoring comb of bristles while they mature on the female plant, giving the seedling a purchase when it arrives at a new site.
A type of seagrass, the plants of this genus forms meadows on calcareous sands. These meadows, and their consequent detritus, become an important source of food and shelter for a number of marine species. The interweaving roots and leaves consolidate the substrate of the ocean floor, protecting it from erosion by currents and wave action. [citation needed]
Species
There are two species:[2]
- Vic WA
- Amphibolis griffithii (J.M.Black) Hartog - SA WA
References
- ^ 1859 illustration from Linnean Society of London - Transactions of the Linnean Society of London v22
- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- Mike van Keulen (25 October 2005). "Amphibolis". Western Australian Seagrass. Murdoch University. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
- "Amphibolis". Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. (2008). "Amphibolis". AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
External links
- Images of Amphibolis at Algaebase
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