Posidonia coriacea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Posidonia coriacea |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Posidonia
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| Species: |
coriacea
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Posidonia coriacea is a special type of seagrass that grows in the ocean waters off southern Australia. It's like an underwater plant that helps make the ocean a healthy home for many sea creatures.
About This Seagrass
Posidonia coriacea is a kind of Posidonia plant. It's a plant that lives for many years and has special stems called rhizomes that grow underground or under the seafloor. These rhizomes help the plant spread and form large groups, like underwater meadows.
You can find this seagrass in clear white sands, usually in places where the waves are quite strong. It grows in water that is not too deep, from about 1 to 30 meters (about 3 to 100 feet) below the surface.
The leaves of Posidonia coriacea are long and narrow. They can be about 2.5 to 7 millimeters wide and grow up to 1.25 meters (about 4 feet) long! Each plant shoot usually has two or three leaves. These leaves are tough and feel leathery. They are also thicker in the middle, both on the top and bottom. Each leaf has between 7 and 11 veins, which are like tiny tubes that carry water and nutrients.
Unlike some other similar seagrasses, the bottom part of the leaf (called the sheath) breaks into strips. It does not turn into a messy, tangled fiber. This seagrass usually flowers during August and September.
Where Does it Live?
Posidonia coriacea is found in several places along the coast of Australia. It has been seen in Shark Bay, Western Australia. You can also find it around the coasts of Southwest Australia. Its range extends all the way across the Bight to South Australia.
Family Tree of Posidonia
This seagrass species belongs to the plant family called Posidoniaceae. There are eight members of this family that grow in southern Australia. There is also a ninth member, Posidonia oceanica, but it lives far away in the Mediterranean Sea.
Several other species within the Posidonia group are very similar to each other. Scientists sometimes call them the Posidonia ostenfeldii complex. This just means they are a group of closely related species that share many features.
