PORT PHILLIP BAY


Seagrass 

Ruppia tuberosa

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Main information sources:
Womersley, H.B.S., (1984-2003). The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia. Part 1-3d. Govt. Printer, South Australia.
Baldock, R.N. 2010. Algae Revealed. South Australian State Herbarium. Website.
AlgaeBase. Website.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Tracheophyta
Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
Superclass:
Angiospermae
Class:
Liliopsida
Subclass:
Alismatidae
Order:
Alismatales
Family:
Potamogetonaceae
Genus:
Ruppia
Species:
tuberosa

General Description

Stems are very short. Base of leaf has an ear shaped lobe (auricle). Leaf is thread-like (filiform). Apex of leaf is rounded to pointed (acute) and very finely serrated (serrulate). Rhizomes are slender. Up to 10 cm long (leaves).

Biology

Locally, this plant grows in Swan Bay, where it is eaten by black swans. Each plant is both male and female (monecious). It flowers September to November with pollination taking place on the surface, unlike other Victorian seagrasses.

Habitat

Soft sediments, intertidal and edges of brackish and estuarine sheltered waters, to depth of 1 m.

Soft substrates

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

Southern Australia.

Species Group

Seaweeds and seagrasses Seagrasses

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

10 cm

Diet

Photosynthetic - sunlight

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Identify

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Pocklington, Jacqui

Jacqui Pocklington is a Research Associate with expertise in algal taxonomy.

citation

Cite this page as:
Pocklington, Jacqui, 2011, Seagrass, Ruppia tuberosa, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 05 May 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/12328

Text: creative commons cc by licence