4-26 Zosteraceae, eelgrass family

Abstract

Only three genera comprise this family, with a single species included in Nova Scotia’s flora. Plants are aquatic, their leaves completely submerged or with the uppermost ones floating. The stems are jointed, sheathed by the leaf bases. Flowers are unisexual, each type with a single pistil or stamen. They are borne on a spadix, hidden within a spathe. Fruits are drupelike. Image use given by Roger Lloyd and Ross Hall.