''Thalassodendron ciliatum'', the sickle-leaved cymodocea, is a species of plant in the ''

Thalassodendron ''Thalassodendron'' is a genus of seagrass in the family (biology), family Cymodoceaceae, described as a genus in 1970. It grows along the shores of the Indian Ocean, the western Pacific Ocean and around Australasia. The genus was circumscriptio ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...

es in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cymodoceaceae Cymodoceaceae is a family of flowering plants, sometimes known as the "manatee-grass family", which includes only marine species. The 2016 APG IV does recognize Cymodoceaceae and places it in the order Alismatales, in the clade monocots. The ...

Distribution

''Thalassodendron ciliatum'' has a wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific region, but has variable abundances throughout its range. This seagrass has been recorded from the western Philippines to Borneo and Singapore, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Caroline Islands, Vanuatu, Australia, India and the Maldives. It is also common from the Gulf of Oman to the Red Sea down to South Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles, the Comores, the Mascarenes and parts of Malesia and the Solomon Islands.seagrassrecovery.com
date of access Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Short, F.T., Coles, R., Waycott, M., Bujang, J.S., Fortes, M., Prathep, A., Kamal, A.H.M., Jagtap, T.G., Bandeira, S., Freeman, A., Erftemeijer, P., La Nafie, Y.A., Vergara, S., Calumpong, H.P. & Makm, I. (2010) Thalassodendron ciliatum. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. . Downloaded November 2012

''Thalassodendron ciliatum'' facts

# ''Thalassodendron ciliatum'' has a wide distribution throughout the Indo-Pacific region, but has variable abundances throughout its range. # ''Thalassodendron ciliatum'' is typically found in the upper part of the sublittoral zone to depths down to 17 meters. # Dense monospecific meadows form in deeper localities on sandy bottoms, coral reefs and sand-covered rocks. # ''Thalassodendron ciliatum'' is a fast-growing seagrass; however, it is slow to re-colonize. This species is susceptible to intense grazing by sea urchins. Anthropogenic stressors on this species include coastal development, pollution, eutrophication, seaweed farming, beach seines and drag net trawling.

Leaf morphology

Red or red striped leaves, Linear and falcate.10–15 cm long and 6-13mm wide with an average width of 10mm, Leaf margins are almost entire with serrations visible towards the tip, Leaf sheath is wide and compressed and measuring 15-30mm long and appears pink in color.

Rhizome, stem and roots

Thick, well-developed rhizome up to 0.5 cm thick with the mat formed by the rhizome approximately 5–10 cm thick. One to two stems are present at every fourth internode along the rhizome, the first stem is either unbranched or slightly branched and 10–65 cm long while The second stem is usually under-developed, if present, and in the form of a bud. Roots occur in groups of 1-5 and range from slightly to highly branched and occur on the internode before the stem.

References

{{Authority control Cymodoceaceae