Coral Reef Plants
We do not see the abundance of plant life in the Coral Reef that we see on land. However those plants that inhabit the Coral Reef habitat areas play an important role in the life cycle of the reef. Below you will find pictures and interesting facts about some of the plants found in the Coral Reef habitat.
Seagrass
Turtle Grass	Shoal Grass	Manatee Grass
Seagrasses are flowering plants which are descended from land plants and have adapted to life submerged in shallow briny seas, where they rely upon the currents for pollination and dispersal of seeds. Because they require light, the depth at which seagrasses are found is limited by water clarity. They help to maintain that clarity by trapping sediments and particles with their leaves. They provide a habitat for many fish, crustaceans and shellfish. and have become a food for many marine animals. The Seagrass leaves also become protection for young marine animals against larger predators.
Blue-Green Algae
	Codium arabicum - a dark green spongy mass, characterized by rolling bumps or convolutions on the surface. It is about 0.5 to 3 cm thick and up to 15 cm wide. It is found on reef flats.
	Codium edule - forms spongy matlike mass of many intertwined dark green cylindrical branches. Branches attach whatever they contact. Looks like green rat's feet. It is from 3 to 8 cm in diameter. It inhabitats reef flats and tidepools.
	Dictyosphaeria versluysii - has bubble-like cells, but is completely solid in middle and always remains rounded. This algae species is grass green in color, but sometimes can be bluish-green in color. It is 1 to 2 cm high and 1to 5 cm wide. It is commonly found on reef flats and tidepools.
	Chlorodesmis hildenbrandtii - forms soft, thick mats that are dark green to yellowish-green in color. This species has soft fine branches less than 1 mm in diameter It grows 1 to 5 cm high. and grows in tidepools and reef flats.
	Bryopsis plumosa - a dark green, delicate soft feather-like appearance, 2 to 12 cm long. It grows on shallow reef flats, in tidepools, and lower intertidal habitats with low wave action.
	Grape algae (Valonia ventricosa) - this odd algae grows in a spherical form with peg-like attachments that fasten it to a hard surface. It is rather fragile and is easily damaged by handling. It is found close to and on reefs.
Red Algae
	Acanthophora spicifera - 1 to 3mm solid cylindrical branches, covered with many distinctive small spinelike branches. Red, brown or dark green in color but turns yellow in bright sunlight. It grows 3 to 20 cm high. It is abundant in calm shallow reef flats, tidepools and intertidal benches.
	Champia spp. - red to light pink plant easily seen because of blue-green irridescence when submerged. Its segmented branches are from 1 to 3 mm in diameter. The Champia spp. forms clumps 2 to 6 cm high and is found in reef flats and shallow subtidal habitats.
	Galaxaura fastigiata - this calcified seaweed is white to pink in color with stiff, hollow cylindrical branches and deep pits in the ends. It can grow up to 15cm and is found in tidepools and reef flats.
	Gracilaria salicornia - cylindrical branches, 2 to 5mm in diameter, usually distintive constrictions. Its colors range from bright yellow to orange-brown. It forms mats 1 to 5cm thick and inhabitats tidepools and reef flats..
	Porolithon garderni - forms pinkish calcareous crusts or much branched hemispherical shaped heads, ranging in size from 10 to 30cm across (or larger). It grows on on reef crests and just seaward of reef crests.
	Peysonella rubra- red to maroon encrusting seaweed calcified on its lower surface. Its edges are free but the bottom remains firmly attached to rubble, dead coral, or other hard surfaces. It covers areas 2 to 20 cm wide and is common in most subtidal habitats.
	Tolypiocladia glomerulata - filamentous red that forms loose mats from 0.3to 1 cm thick. Its main branches are 0.5 mm in diameter with many smaller branches growing out from them. In deeper water it is dark red; in shallow water it appears pale red. It has a distinctive tree-like branching pattern. It forms mats 2 to 5 cm wide and can be found on rubble and coral heads in subtidal habitats.
Brown Algae
	Padina australis - flat blade, with rolled edges, light brown in color and slightly calcified. The blades may be split. It is attached by a single holdfast. It grows 5 to 20 cm tall and inhabitats deep tidepools and reef flats.
	Turbinaria ornata- stiff erect seaweed with distinctive angular turban-like blades and a central stipe. It is light golden brown in color and grows 2 to 20 cm tall. It grows on rocky intertidal coastlines in tidepools and on reef flats and crests.
	Cactus algae (Halimeda discoidea) - dark green outer segments possibly with a calcified and whitish center. This species of algae is able to anchor in sand as well as on rock. It is found in the deeper reef waters. Dead bits of this alga makes up a large portion of Hawaii's beach sand.
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