Ruppia maritima widgeon grass

Kingdom: PLANTAE
Division: ANTHOPHYTA
Class: MONOCOTYLEDONEAE
Order: HELOBIAE
Family: POTAMOGETONACEAE
Genus: Ruppia
Species: maritima

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION*

Thread- like leaves with a pointed tip
Leaves are alternate, less than 1 mm wide and less than 20 cm long
Leaf tips vary from obtuse and serrate to acute and entire
Leaves grow from a branched stem
In extreme environments, the plant behaves as an annual
In more stable habitats, the plant behaves as a perennial

HABITAT*

Grows in brackish to freshwater (wide tolerance) habitats
Typically grows in water up to 2 m deep
Grows in all substrate types

DISTRIBUTION*

Seagrasses of the Ruppia genus occur on all continents of the world and on many islands: the northern limit is about 69 degrees North, the southern limit is at least 55 degrees South.

*Information source: Kantrud HA. 1991. Wigeon grass (Ruppia maritima L.): A literature review. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife Research 10. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page.
www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/literatr/ruppia/ruppia.htm

Image Credit: Ronald C. Phillips