Zosteraceae

{{Short description|Family of aquatic plants}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Zostera marina nf clean.jpg | image_caption = ''Zostera marina'', from Lindman (1917–1926) | taxon = Zosteraceae | authority = Dumort.<ref name=APGIII2009>{{Cite journal |last=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2009 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=2 |pages=105–121 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Dumortier | year=1829 | title=Analyse des Familles de Plantes : avec l'indication des principaux genres qui s'y rattachent | location=Tournay }}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = *''Phyllospadix'' *''Zostera'' | range_map = }}

'''Zosteraceae''' (one of the four '''seagrasses''' 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,<ref>{{cite journal|last = Ackerman|first = JD|title = Submarine pollination in the marine angiosperm ''Zostera marina'' (Zosteraceae) I: The influence of floral morphology on fluid flow|journal = American Journal of Botany|volume = 84|issue = 8|pages = 1099–1109|publisher = Botanical Society of America|year = 1997|doi = 10.2307/2446153|jstor = 2446153|pmid = 21708665}}</ref> 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 <ref name="Christenhusz-Byng2016">{{cite journal |author1=Christenhusz, M. J. M. |author2=Byng, J. W. |name-list-style=amp | year = 2016 | title = The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase | journal = Phytotaxa | volume = 261 | pages = 201–217 | url = http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/download/phytotaxa.261.3.1/20598 | doi = 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 | issue = 3 | publisher = Magnolia Press | doi-access = free }}</ref>). ''Zostera'' contains three subgenera: ''Heterozostera'' (formerly considered a separate genus <ref>{{cite journal | last1=Jacobs | first1=S.W.L. | last2=Lee | first2=D.H. | year=2009 | title=New combinations in ''Zostera'' (Zosteraceae) | journal=Telopea | volume=12 | issue=3 | pages=419–423 | doi=10.7751/telopea20095827| doi-access=free }}</ref>), ''Zostera'' and ''Zosterella''.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Les|first1=D.H.|last2=Moody|first2=M.L.|last3=Jacobs|first3=S.W.L. |last4=Bayer|first4=R.J. |year=2002 |title=Systematics of Seagrasses (Zosteraceae) in Australia and New Zealand |journal=Systematic Botany |volume=27 |issue =3|pages=468–484 |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1043/0363-6445-27.3.468 |format=abstract|doi=10.1043/0363-6445-27.3.468|doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 }}</ref> 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.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;" |+ Families and Genera crosses (Sea grasses) ! scope="col" | Kubitzki (ed. 1998<ref>Kubitzki (ed.) 1998. ''The families and genera of vascular plants, vol 4, Monocotyledons: Alismatanae and Commelinanae (except Gramineae).'' Springer-Verlag, Berlin.</ref>) ! scope="col" | Watson & Dallwitz (delta-intkey)<ref>Watson & Dallwitz. Zosteraceae. ''The families of flowering plants.'' http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/zosterac.htm</ref> ! scope="col" | data.kew<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.kew.org/cgi-bin/vpfg1992/genlist.pl?CYMODOCEACEAE|title=Vascular Plant Families and Genera. List of genera in family Cymodoceaceae|publisher=Kew Royal Botanical Gardens|website=data.kew.org| access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> ! scope="col" | APWeb (mobot.org)<ref>[http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/apweb/orders/alismatalesweb.htm#Cymodoceaceael Vascular Plant Families and Genera. List of Genera in Cymodoceaceae] (accessed 2016-06-02)</ref> |- ! colspan="4" | 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 |- ! colspan="4" | 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'') |- ! colspan="4" | Ruppiaceae |- | ''Ruppia'' L. || ''Ruppia'' || (in ''Ruppia'' L. in Potamogetonaceae) || ''Ruppia'' L. |- ! colspan="4" | Posidoniaceae |- | ''Posidonia'' König || ''Posidonia'' || ''Posidonia'' K.Koenig || ''Posidonia'' König |- |}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;" |+ Families and Genera crosses (Potamogetonaceae) ! scope="col" | Kubitzki (ed. 1998<ref>Kubitzki (ed.) 1998. ''The families and genera of vascular plants, vol 4, Monocotyledons: Alismatanae and Commelinanae (except Gramineae).'' Springer-Verlag, Berlin.</ref>) ! scope="col" | Watson & Dallwitz (delta-intkey)<ref>Watson & Dallwitz. Potamogetonaceae. ''The families of flowering plants.'' http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/potamoge.htm</ref> ! scope="col" | data.kew<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.kew.org/cgi-bin/vpfg1992/genlist.pl?POTAMOGETONACEAE|title=Vascular Plant Families and Genera. List of genera in family Potamogetonaceae|publisher=Kew Royal Botanical Gardens|website=data.kew.org|access-date=2016-06-02}}</ref> ! scope="col" | APWeb (mobot.org)<ref>[http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/apweb/orders/alismatalesweb.htm#Potamogetonaceae Vascular Plant Families and Genera. List of Genera in Potamogetonaceae] (accessed 2016-06-02)</ref> |- ! colspan="4" | 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. |- ! colspan="4" | 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== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

Waycott, M, McMahon, K, Lavery, P 2014, A Guide to Southern Temperate Seagrasses, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, {{ISBN|9781486300150}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Zosteraceae}} {{Wikispecies}} * [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/Zosterac.htm Zosteraceae] in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). * [https://web.archive.org/web/20101213041459/http://delta-intkey.com/angio/ The families of flowering plants]: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. Version: 27 April 2006. * [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=10962 Zosteraceae in the ''Flora of North America''] * [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Tree&id=27254&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock NCBI Taxonomy Browser] * [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Zosteraceae links at CSDL, Texas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012202630/http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Zosteraceae |date=2008-10-12 }}

Category:Zosteraceae Category:Alismatales families