page_title: Posidonia oceanica
section_title: Distribution and habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Posidonia oceanica / Distribution and habitat
caption_attribution_description: Illustrazione dell'ecosistema di Posidonia oceanica
context_page_description: Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free floating and known in Italy as "the olive of the sea". Balls of fibrous material from its foliage, known as egagropili, wash up to nearby shorelines.
context_section_description: This species is found only in the Mediterranean Sea where it is in decline, occupying an area of about 3% of the basin. This corresponds to a surface area of about 38,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi). Posidonia grows best in clean waters, and its presence is a marker for lack of pollution. The presence of Posidonia can be detected by the masses of decomposing leaves on beaches. Such plant material has been used for composting, but Italian laws prohibit the use of marine algae and plants for this purpose.
caption: Illustration of P. oceanica habitat
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