Staminate and pistillate flowers and fruits of Halophila ovalis subsp. bullosa (Setchell) Hartog

Abstract

Flowers and fruit of the seagrass Halophila ovalis subsp. bullosa (Setchell) Hartog are reported from the Nasese intertidal flats, Laucala Bay, Fiji Islands, and described for the first time. The observation of pistillate and staminate flowers completes the flowering event reporting of this endemic Fijian taxon, and also resolves its taxonomic identity. Lack of prior descriptions of H. ovalis subsp. bullosa flower and fruit may be a consequence of the small size of the flower and fruit structures, which may be easily overlooked during field studies. Our descriptions confirm that H. ovalis subsp. bullosa in Fiji is a dioecious seagrass, and that its reproductive features are identical to those of H. ovalis. The reproductive features observed, therefore, provide no evidence for subspecies designation of H. ovalis subsp. bullosa. Description of the sexual reproductive structures of H. ovalis subsp. bullosa is important in species discrimination, field identification, and to provide further precision in seagrass ecological investigations.