Lepilaena
Encyclopedia
Lepilaena is a genus of aquatic and marine
flowering plant
comprising 6 or more species endemic to coastal and brackish or akaline inland waters of temperate Australia
, Tasmania
, and New Zealand
.
The species are appended with common names that derive from their description as water-mats; for example, L. australis is referred to as Austral water-mat and L. marina as Sea water-mat.
Interpretation of molecular evidence for this poorly studied genus suggests a close affinity with Zannichellia
, another genus of aquatic plants. Two species are noted for their occurrence in marine environs, L. cylindrocarpa and L. marina, in estuaries and tidal flats. L. cylindrocarpa is also found in a variety of brackish inland waters of mainland Australia. Other species may be found in habitats of fresh to brackish, still or slowly moving, coastal or inland waters.
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
comprising 6 or more species endemic to coastal and brackish or akaline inland waters of temperate Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
The species are appended with common names that derive from their description as water-mats; for example, L. australis is referred to as Austral water-mat and L. marina as Sea water-mat.
Interpretation of molecular evidence for this poorly studied genus suggests a close affinity with Zannichellia
Zannichellia
Zannichellia is a genus of submerged aquatic flowering plant. The genus is fully adapted to an aquatic life cycle including underwater pollination. Zannichellia has threadlike leaves and tiny flowers....
, another genus of aquatic plants. Two species are noted for their occurrence in marine environs, L. cylindrocarpa and L. marina, in estuaries and tidal flats. L. cylindrocarpa is also found in a variety of brackish inland waters of mainland Australia. Other species may be found in habitats of fresh to brackish, still or slowly moving, coastal or inland waters.
Species
The species currently recognised include:- Lepilaena australis (type species, aquatic)
- Lepilaena bilocularis (aquatic)
- Lepilaena cylindrocarpa (brackish water, marine)
- Lepilaena marina (marine)
- Lepilaena patentifolia (aquatic)
- Lepilaena preissii (aquatic)