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Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Zostera marina L.

Eelgrass, Seawrack

Zosteraceae (Eel-Grass Family)

USDA Symbol: ZOMA

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

This grasslike marine herb is a seed plant, its leaves stream with the current.

Neither a seaweed nor an algae, Eelgrass is a true seed plant that has evolved an ability to live in saline waters. Currents distribute both pollen and the small fruit; propagation also occurs by means of rhizomes underneath the mud or sand. Unlike marine algae, it offers no resistance to attaching organisms, so the outer half of each blade usually is coated with a wide variety of very small marine plants and animals. Eelgrass beds are havens for scallops, crabs, and many fishes.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep

Distribution

USA: AK , AL , CA , CT , DE , FL , MA , MD , ME , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OR , RI , VA , WA
Canada: NB , NS , PE
Native Distribution: Greenland to Florida.
Native Habitat: Shallow bays and coves, tidal creeks, estuaries.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), AK(N), CAN(N), SPM(N)

Growing Conditions

Aquatic: yes

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Zostera marina in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Zostera marina in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Zostera marina

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: TWC Staff

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