Flowering of the seagrass Halodule wrightii in North Carolina, USA

Abstract

Halodule wrightii Aschers. is a tropical euryhaline dioecious seagrass which is broadly distributed in shallow marine waters on the mainland side of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Previous reports of H. wrightii in North Carolina have been limited to observations of sterile plants. During June through August 1990, and in May 1991, we observed and photographed male and female flowers of H. wrightii collected between Cape Lookout and Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Although we did not find seeds of H. wrightii in the sediment of that region, seeds were found south of Cape Lookout in Bogue Sound in 1991. Our observations confirm that Dare County, North Carolina, is the northern limit for occurrence of H. wrightii along the Atlantic coast of North America.