Caulerpa racemosa (Forssk.) J. Agardh var. laetevirens (Mont.) Weber Bosse
Family
Caulerpaceae
Synonyms
Caulerpa laetevirens Mont.
Vernacular Names
| English |
Seagrapes. |
| Indonesia | Lelato (Lombok), lata (Bangka), lai-lai (South Sulawesi). |
| Philippines |
Ararusip (Ilocano, general and for var. peltata), kulinatnat, saluysoy (for var. peltata). |
Geographical Distributions
Caulerpa racemosa is widely distributed in tropical waters and some varieties also occur in subtropical waters. It is common in Southeast Asia, and has been recorded in Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
Description
Caulerpa racemosa is a stoloniferous plant with stolons cylindrical to ovoid in cross-section. The fronds are robust, fleshy, simple and crowded. The branchlets are imbricate, mostly arranged in four rows surrounding the axis of the frond, and with club-shaped to hemispherical head 1.5-3 mm wide.
Ecology / Cultivation
Caulerpa racemosa is very commonly found in shallow water less than 5 m deep. Favourable environmental conditions for most varieties include calm, relatively clear water with weak to medium current and loamy or sandy bottom. C. racemosa is also associated with mangrove forests. Very often, C. racemosa meadow is found in the frontier of mangrove forests, and it grows very well on the dead trunks of mangrove trees or covers the wooden piles of harbour bridges. Some of the varieties of C. racemosa (e.g. vars lamourouxii, macrophysa and racemosa) are tolerant of the fluctuations in salinity found in intertidal ponds. During the blooming season (in eastern Indonesia between late May-early July), C. racemosa grows very thick and dense and may reach a height of up to 40 cm.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.15(1): Cryptogams: Algae.
