Zostera

Zostera 

a genus of perennial plants of the eelgrass family, Zosteraceae. The plants have a flattened, creeping rhizome that takes root in nodules. The stems are also flattened and branched, and have distichous narrow leaves. There are approximately ten species in subtropical, temperate, subarctic, and subantarctic seas. They grow mainly in shoals or at depths of 1-4 m (rarely 10 m or more), predominantly in the soft sandy or silt bottoms of calm bays and coves. The sub-marine meadows frequently created by eelgrass serve as “pastures” for marine animals, fish, and migratory water-fowl. There are four species in the USSR. The dried leaves of Zostera marina, and of other species to a lesser degree, are used as stuffing for mattresses and furniture, as a packing material, and sometimes as a fertilizer and in the preparation of building materials.

REFERENCE

Morozova-Vodianitskaia, N. V. “Zostera kak ob’ekt promysla na Chernom more.” Priroda, 1939, no. 8.

M. E. KIRPICHNIKOV