Halophila ovalis(R.Br.) Hook.f.

Species code: Hoseagrass

WFO wfo-0000769338 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Halophila ovalis, photographed by Hugo Innes
fig. a Hugo Innes, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-06-11 / obs. 205089465
Halophila ovalis, photographed by luluchouette
fig. b luluchouette, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 183185240
Halophila ovalis, photographed by ronavery
fig. c ronavery, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 175578803
Halophila ovalis, photographed by Ewout Knoester
fig. d Ewout Knoester, CC BY-SA 4.0 / obs. 174783178
Halophila ovalis, photographed by 葉子
fig. e 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 110895317
Halophila ovalis, photographed by 葉子
fig. f 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 103008334
Halophila ovalis, photographed by 葉子
fig. g 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 92564086
Halophila ovalis, photographed by 葉子
fig. h 葉子, CC0 1.0 / obs. 92566657

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 55 botanical countries

Regions where Halophila ovalis is native: Cape Provinces, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rodrigues, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, China Southeast, Gulf States, Hainan, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Nansei-shoto, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Yemen, Andaman Is., Borneo, India, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Pakistan, Philippines, Solomon Is., South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand, Vietnam, New South Wales, Norfolk Is., Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, Caroline Is., Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Society Is., Tonga Cape ProvincesEgyptEritreaKenyaKwaZulu-NatalMadagascarMozambiqueSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaChina SoutheastGulf StatesHainanIranJapanKuwaitOmanPalestineSaudi ArabiaTaiwanYemenBorneoIndiaJawaLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNew GuineaPakistanPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiThailandVietnamNew South WalesNorthern TerritoryQueenslandWestern AustraliaFijiNew Caledonia ComorosMauritiusRodriguesSeychellesNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Nicobar Is.South China SeaNorfolk Is.Caroline Is.SamoaSociety Is.Tonga
Native distribution of Halophila ovalis, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Borneo BOR
India IND
Jawa JAW
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
South China Sea SCS
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
Cape Provinces CPP AFRICA
Comoros COM
Egypt EGY
Eritrea ERI
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Madagascar MDG
Mauritius MAU
Mozambique MOZ
Rodrigues ROD
Seychelles SEY
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
China Southeast CHS ASIA-TEMPERATE
Gulf States GST
Hainan CHH
Iran IRN
Japan JAP
Kuwait KUW
Nansei-shoto NNS
Oman OMA
Palestine PAL
Saudi Arabia SAU
Taiwan TAI
Yemen YEM
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC
Fiji FIJ
New Caledonia NWC
Samoa SAM
Society Is. SCI
Tonga TON
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
Norfolk Is. NFK
Northern Territory NTA
Queensland QLD
Western Australia WAU

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 9 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Barkania punctata Ehrenb.
  • Caulinia ovalis R.Br.
  • Halophila johnsonii Eiseman
  • Halophila johnstonii Eiseman
  • Halophila kotschyana Fenzl ex Asch.
  • Halophila kotschyanae Fenzl ex Zanardini
  • Halophila linearis Hartog
  • Halophila ovalis var. bullosa Setch.
  • Kernera ovalis (R.Br.) Schult. & Schult.f.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.