Zosteraceae (one of the four seagrass families, Kubitzki ed. 1998) is a family of marine perennial flowering plants found in temperate and subtropical coastal waters, with the highest diversity located around Korea and Japan. Most seagrasses complete their entire life cycle under water, having filamentous pollen especially adapted to dispersion in an aquatic environment and ribbon-like leaves that lack stomata. Seagrasses are herbaceous and have prominent creeping rhizomes. A distinctive characteristic of the family is the presence of characteristic retinacules, which are present in all species except members of Zostera subgenus Zostera.
Zosteraceae has long been accepted by taxonomists as monophyletic. The APG II system of 2003 recognizes this family and places it in the monocot order Alismatales. The family contains approximately twenty-two species divided between two genera, Phyllospadix and Zostera totalling 22 known species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). Zostera contains three subgenera: Heterozostera (formerly considered a separate genus ), Zostera and Zosterella. Zosteraceae is closely related to Potamogetonaceae, a family of freshwater aquatics.
Zosteraceae is a conserved name.
Taxonomy
Marine grasses families: Zosteraceae, Cymodoceaceae, Ruppiaceae and Posidoniaceae. Related families: Potamogetonaceae and sometimes including Zannichelliaceae.
+ Families and Genera crosses (Sea grasses) Kubitzki, ed. (1998)Kubitzki (ed.) 1998. The families and genera of vascular plants, vol 4, Monocotyledons: Alismatanae and Commelinanae (except Gramineae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Watson & Dallwitz (delta-intkey)Watson & Dallwitz. Zosteraceae. The families of flowering plants. http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/zosterac.htm data.kew APWeb (mobot.org)Vascular Plant Families and Genera. List of Genera in Cymodoceaceae (accessed 2016-06-02) Zosteraceae 1. Zostera L. Zostera Zostera L. Zostera L. (including Heterozostera den Hartog, Nanozostera Tomlinson & Posluzny) 2. Heterozostera den Hartog Heterozostera Heterozostera (Setch.) Hartog (in Zostera) 3. Phyllospadix Hook. Phyllospadix Phyllospadix Hook. Phyllospadix J. D. Hooker Cymodoceaceae 1. Syringodium Kütz Syringodium Syringodium Kutz. (in Cymodocea) 2. Halodule Endl. Halodule Halodule Endl. Halodule Endlicher 3. Cymodocea König Cymodocea Cymodocea K.Koenig (including Phycoschoenus (Asch.) Nakai ) Cymodocea König (including Amphibolis Agardh ?, Syringodium Kütz. ?, Thalassodendron den Hartog ?) 4. Amphibolis Agardh Amphibolis Amphibolis C.Agardh (including Pectinella J.M.Black) (in Cymodocea) 5. Thalassodendron de Hartog (name not found) Thalassodendron Hartog (in Cymodocea) Ruppiaceae Ruppia L. Ruppia (in Ruppia L. in Potamogetonaceae) Ruppia L. Posidoniaceae Posidonia König Posidonia Posidonia K.Koenig Posidonia König
+ Families and Genera crosses (Potamogetonaceae) Kubitzki, ed. (1998)Kubitzki (ed.) 1998. The families and genera of vascular plants, vol 4, Monocotyledons: Alismatanae and Commelinanae (except Gramineae). Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Watson & Dallwitz (delta-intkey)Watson & Dallwitz. Potamogetonaceae. The families of flowering plants. http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/potamoge.htm data.kew APWeb (mobot.org)Vascular Plant Families and Genera. List of Genera in Potamogetonaceae (accessed 2016-06-02) Potamogetonaceae 1. Potamogeton L. Potamogeton Potamogeton L. Potamogeton L. (including Coleogeton Les & Haynes, Stuckenia Börner) 2. Groenlandia J. Gray Groenlandia Groenlandia J.Gay Groenlandia J. Gay (in Ruppia in Ruppiaceae) (in Ruppia in Ruppiaceae) Ruppia L. (in Ruppia in Ruppiaceae) (in Althenia: Zannichelliaceae and Lepilaena: Zannichelliaceae) (in Althenia: Zannichelliaceae and Lepilaena: Zannichelliaceae) (in Althenia F.Petit: Zannichelliaceae and Lepilaena J.L.Drumm. ex Harv.:Zannichelliaceae) Althenia Petit (including Lepilaena Harvey) (in Pseudalthenia including Vleisia: Zannichelliaceae) (in Pseudalthenia: Zannichelliaceae and Vleisia: Zannichelliaceae) (Pseudalthenia not found, Vleisia Toml. & Posl.: Zannichelliaceae) Pseudalthenia Nakai (including Vleisia Tomlinson & Posluszny) (in Zannichellia L.: Zannichelliaceae) (in Zannichellia: Zannichelliaceae) (in Zannichellia L.: Zannichelliaceae) Zannichellia L. Zannichelliaceae 1. Zannichellia L. Zannichellia Zannichellia L. (in Zannichellia L.: Potamogetonaceae) 2. Pseudalthenia Nakai (including Vleisia) Pseudalthenia (excluding Vleisia) (name not found) (in Pseudalthenia: Potamogetonaceae) 3. Althenia Petit (excluding Lepilaena Drumm. ex. Harv.) Althenia (excluding Lepilaena) Althenia F.Petit (excluding Lepilaena J.L.Drumm. ex Harv.) Althenia Petit (including Lepilaena Harvey) 4. Lepilaena Drumm. ex. Harv. Lepilaena Lepilaena J.L.Drumm. ex Harv. (in Althenia Petit) (in Pseudalthenia) Vleisia Vleisia Toml. & Posl. (in Pseudalthenia: Potamogetonaceae)
References
Further reading
Waycott, M, McMahon, K, Lavery, P 2014, A Guide to Southern Temperate Seagrasses, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne,
External links
Zosteraceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. Version: 27 April 2006. Zosteraceae in the Flora of North America NCBI Taxonomy Browser links at CSDL, Texas