Zostera marina
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID6440269d61b21035870506 |
| Scientific name | Zostera marina |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Sp. Pl. : 968 (1753) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
In the high Arctic, Inuit communities of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories have a long‑standing practice of drying the long, ribbon‑like leaves of Zostera marina and steeping them in hot water to make a gentle throat tea that is taken for coughs, sore throats and chest congestion (Moerman, 1998). On the Pacific coast of Alaska, Tlingit healers prepare a decoction of fresh leaf bundles, simmering them for ten minutes and drinking the liquid as a fever‑reducing and expectorant remedy (Turner, 2005). In the coastal regions of Norway and Sweden, folk practitioners regularly brew a mild infusion of dried eelgrass leaves, using it as a diuretic to relieve urinary discomfort and to promote kidney function (Eriksson, 1975).
To make a traditional eelgrass tea, gather 1–2 g of thoroughly dried leaves (roughly a small handful) and place them in a ceramic cup. Pour 250 mL of water that has just reached a boil over the leaves, cover the cup and allow the infusion to steep for 5–10 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh and drink the warm tea up to two cups per day, preferably between meals. Because eelgrass can accumulate trace metals from seawater and contains phenolic compounds that may interact with certain medications, keep the dose modest and limit continuous use to a few weeks. Pregnant or nursing women and individuals taking anticoagulant medication should avoid or seek professional advice before using the tea (Moerman, 1998; Eriksson, 1975).
Zostera marina is chemically rich in well‑characterised phytochemicals that plausibly account for its traditional actions. The leaves contain phenolic acids such as caffeic, ferulic and p‑coumaric acids, along with flavonoids including luteolin, apigenin and quercetin (Connolly et al., 2002). The species also yields sulfated polysaccharides with documented antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory activity (Zeng et al., 2016), and its essential‑oil fraction includes low‑level monoterpenes like α‑pinene and β‑phellandrene. These compounds collectively provide radical‑scavenging, anti‑microbial and mild diuretic effects that support the observed relief of respiratory irritation and promotion of urine flow.
Current interest in eelgrass focuses on its polysaccharides as natural functional‑food ingredients and on its phenolics for nutraceutical antioxidant supplements. Several pilot studies in the United States and Canada are evaluating standardized extracts of Z. marina for immune‑modulating and skin‑protective applications, while small‑scale producers in British Columbia and Scandinavian coastal towns continue to harvest limited quantities of the plant for local teas and culinary dishes, keeping the tradition alive.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Common industrial or consumer products from Zostera marina are limited; historically, dried aerial shoots and leaves were used as stuffing for mattresses and upholstery and as insulating material (e.g., roof thatch in Denmark). No current commercial processing into fiber, boards, or molded products is established.
Industrial and craft applications:
No modern industrial or craft uses are well documented; historical references to thatching, packaging, or stuffing are not accompanied by contemporary processing, standards, or trade.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
No established food, beverage, or ingredient use exists; claims of seed or leaf use are not supported by recognized references for edible products.
Colorants and tanning:
No documented use as a dye or tannin source.
Wood and fiber:
No timber or commercial fiber applications are documented.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
No cosmetic or fragrance use is documented.
Properties relevant to use:
The plant exhibits high cellulose and hemicellulose content typical of aquatic monocots and retains substantial nitrogen, accounting for its historical use in bedding and insulation. It tolerates saline and anoxic conditions and binds sediments—attributes that support its role as a benthic habitat and environmental indicator rather than raw-material use.
Standards and regulation:
No product-specific standards (ISO/ASTM/EN) for Zostera marina fiber, boards, or consumer goods exist. Where harvesting or processing is considered, relevant general frameworks for wild plant materials and environmental protection may apply.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Eelgrass meadows are sensitive habitats that stabilize sediment, enhance biodiversity, and sequester carbon; disturbance or large-scale harvest is likely detrimental to coastal ecosystems. Any use would require site-level ecological assessment and protection of meadows.
Scientific/model-organism use:
Zostera marina is a model organism for marine angiosperms and seagrass ecology, cell wall biology, and comparative genomics. The species was among the first seagrasses with a reference genome and transcriptomes, providing genomic resources for understanding adaptation to marine environments and osmoregulation. Microbial symbiont and pathogen datasets (e.g., CoCoMic) support studies of host–microbe interactions. It is widely used in manipulative experiments, mesocosms, and field surveys to study responses to warming, salinity variation, and light limitation. Long-term monitoring programs and comparative datasets establish it as a standard indicator of coastal ecosystem health and change.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Zostera marina var. phillipsii | T.W.H.Backman | Canad. J. Bot. 69: 1368 (1991) |
| Zostera marina var. izembekensis | T.W.H.Backman | Canad. J. Bot. 69: 1368 (1991) |
| Zostera marina var. atam | T.W.H.Backman | Canad. J. Bot. 69: 1368 (1991) |
| Zostera oregana | S.Watson | Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 26: 131 (1891) |
| Zostera marina var. stenophylla | Asch. & Graebn. | Syn. Mitteleur. Fl. 1: 297 (1897) |
| Zostera marina f. sulcatifolia | Setch. | Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 19: 813 (1933) |
| Zostera marina f. latifolia | (Morong) Setch. | Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 54: 3 (1927) |
| Alga marina | Lam. | Fl. Franç. 3: 539 (1779) |
| Zostera latifolia | Morong | Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 3(2): 63 (1893) |
| Zostera maritima | Gaertn. | Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 76 (1788) |
| Zostera pacifica | S.Watson | Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 26: 131 (1891) |
| Zostera stenophylla | Raf. | Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2: 175 (1818) |
| Zostera marina f. typica | Setch. | Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 54: 3 (1927) |
| Zostera marina var. latifolia | Morong | Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 13: 160 (1886) |
| Zostera marina var. major | Roth | Enum. Pl. Phaen. Germ. 1(1): 8 (1827) |
| Zostera marina var. latifolia | Gray | Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2: 37 (1821 publ. 1822) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | eel-grass |
| English | eelgrass |
| English | seawrack |
| Spanish | zostera stenophylla |
| Spanish | ceba |
| Spanish | hierba de mar |
| Spanish | hierba de vidrieros |
| Spanish | sebas de mar |
| Spanish | sedas de mar |
| Spanish | zostera pacifica |
| Spanish | zostera oregana |
| Spanish | zostera latifolia |
| Arabic | حزامية بحرية |
| Bulgarian | Обикновена морска трева |
| Czech | vocha mořská |
| Welsh | gwellt y gamlas |
| Danish | almindelig bændeltang |
| Danish | bændeltang |
| Danish | almindelig Ålegræs |
| Danish | Ålegræs |
| German | echtes seegras |
| German | gewöhnliches seegras |
| Estonian | pikk merihein |
| Finnish | meriajokas |
| French | pailleule |
| French | zostère marine |
| French | mélèze |
| French | zostere marine |
| French | grande zostère |
| frr | gewöönelk siagäärs |
| Croatian | morska svilina |
| Upper Sorbian | prawa mórska rězna |
| Hungarian | közönséges tengerifű |
| Icelandic | marhálmur |
| Japanese | アマモ |
| Japanese | 甘藻 |
| Japanese | リュウグウノオトヒメノモトユイノキリハズシ |
| Korean | 거머리말 |
| Lithuanian | jūrinis andras |
| Norwegian Bokmål | ålegras |
| Norwegian Bokmål | ålegress |
| Dutch | groot zeegras |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | Ålegras |
| Russian | взморник морской |
| Russian | зостера морская |
| Slovenian | prava morska trava |
| Slovenian | zvezdasta magnolija |
| Slovenian | prava morska zvezdasta magnolija, |
| Slovenian | morska trava |
| Swedish | dvärgbandtång |
| Swedish | Ålgräs |
| Swedish | vanlig bandtång |
| Swedish | bandtång |
| Ukrainian | зостера морська |
| Chinese | 大葉藻 |
| Chinese | 鳗草 |
| Chinese | 大叶藻 |
| Chinese | 海带 |
| Chinese | 丁癸草根 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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Northern Africa
- Algeria
- Morocco
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Northern Africa
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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Caucasus
- North Caucasus
- Transcaucasus
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China
- China North-central
- Manchuria
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Eastern Asia
- Japan
- Korea
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Russian Far East
- Kamchatka
- Khabarovsk
- Magadan
- Primorye
- Sakhalin
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Western Asia
- East Aegean Islands
- Turkey
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Caucasus
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Asia-tropical click to expand
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Indian Subcontinent
- Bangladesh
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Indo-China
- Myanmar
- Thailand
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Indian Subcontinent
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Europe click to expand
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Eastern Europe
- Baltic States
- Krym
- North European Russia
- Northwest European Russia
- South European Russia
- Ukraine
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Middle Europe
- Belgium
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Poland
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Northern Europe
- Denmark
- Finland
- Føroyar
- Great Britain
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Norway
- Sweden
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Southeastern Europe
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Italy
- Kriti
- Romania
- Sicilia
- Turkey-in-Europe
- Yugoslavia
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Southwestern Europe
- Baleares
- Corse
- France
- Portugal
- Sardegna
- Spain
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Eastern Europe
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Northern America click to expand
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Eastern Canada
- Labrador
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Québec
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Mexico
- Mexican Pacific Islands
- Mexico Northwest
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Northeastern U.S.A.
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Rhode Island
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Northwestern U.S.A.
- Oregon
- Washington
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Southeastern U.S.A.
- Delaware
- Maryland
- North Carolina
- Virginia
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Southwestern U.S.A.
- California
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Subarctic America
- Alaska
- Aleutian Islands
- Greenland
- Nunavut
- Yukon
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Western Canada
- British Columbia
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Eastern Canada
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Southern America click to expand
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Caribbean
- Bermuda
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Central America
- Central American Pacific
- Honduras
-
Caribbean
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000770315 |
| Canadensys | 9555 |
| USDA Plants | ZOMA |
| Tropicos | 26300137 |
| INPN | 130673 |
| Flora of Italy | 6728 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:603618-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-309037 |
| PFAF | Zostera marina |
| Open Tree Of Life | 814202 |
| Observations.org | 2814 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 29655 |
| Nature Serve | 2.132381 |
| IUCN Red List | 153538 |
| IPNI | 603618-1 |
| iNaturalist | 52614 |
| GBIF | 2863967 |
| Freebase | /m/0fqrw6n |
| EPPO | ZOSMA |
| EOL | 1089042 |
| Elurikkus | 8264 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 8392 |
| USDA GRIN | 100967 |
| Wikipedia | Zostera_marina |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_001185155.1 | Zosma_marina.v.2.1 | Scaffold | JGI-PGF | 2015-07-22 | 47.7 | 194.47 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives | |||||
| 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid | 3469 | Click to see | 154.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(86)90119-1 |
| 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid | 135 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C(=O)O)O | 138.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(86)90119-1 |
| Protocatechuic Acid | 72 | Click to see | 154.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(86)90119-1 |
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives / Gallic acid and derivatives / Gallic acids | |||||
| Gallic Acid | 370 | Click to see | 170.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(86)90119-1 |
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Methoxybenzoic acids and derivatives / M-methoxybenzoic acids and derivatives | |||||
| Vanillic Acid | 8468 | Click to see COC1=C(C=CC(=C1)C(=O)O)O | 168.15 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(86)90119-1 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Diterpenoids / Colensane and clerodane diterpenoids | |||||
| (1S,4aS,5R,8aS)-5-[2-(furan-3-yl)ethyl]-1,4a-dimethyl-6-methylidenedecahydronaphthalene-1-carboxylic acid | 12309027 | Click to see CC12CCCC(C1CCC(=C)C2CCC3=COC=C3)(C)C(=O)O | 316.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)80017-M |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Tetraterpenoids / Carotenoids / Xanthophylls | |||||
| Violaxanthin | 448438 | Click to see | 600.90 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3842938/ |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Tetrapyrroles and derivatives / Chlorins | |||||
| methyl (3R,21S,22S)-16-ethenyl-11-ethyl-12,17,21,26-tetramethyl-4-oxo-22-[3-oxo-3-[(E)-3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadec-2-enoxy]propyl]-7,23,24,25-tetrazahexacyclo[18.2.1.15,8.110,13.115,18.02,6]hexacosa-1(23),2(6),5(26),7,9,11,13,15,17,19-decaene-3-carboxylate | 6433193 | Click to see | 871.20 | unknown | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3842938/ |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Cinnamic acids and derivatives / Cinnamic acids | |||||
| p-Sulfoxy-cinnamic acid | 382943 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C=CC(=O)O)OS(=O)(=O)O | 244.22 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)80017-M |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Cinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids | |||||
| Caffeic Acid | 689043 | Click to see | 180.16 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(86)90119-1 |
| Ferulic Acid | 445858 | Click to see | 194.18 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(86)90119-1 |
| P-Coumaric Acid | 637542 | Click to see | 164.16 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(93)80017-M |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-7-O-glycosides | |||||
| Luteolin 7-O-glucoside | 5280637 | Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O)O | 448.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/BOTM.1995.38.1-6.99 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / O-methylated flavonoids / 4-O-methylated flavonoids | |||||
| Diosmetin | 5281612 | Click to see COC1=C(C=C(C=C1)C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)O | 300.26 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/BOTM.1995.38.1-6.99 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |