Abstract:The reproductive shoots of Zostera marina L. in different growth state was cultivated in vitro to study the feasibility of harvesting seeds by temporary cultivation of reproductive shoots. The process of flowering, pollination, fruiting, seed germination, seedling development and the anatomical structure of reproductive shoot, mature seed, seed embryo were observed and described. It was found that the structure of reproductive shoots were highly adaptive to the water environment. Their morphological changes were the outstanding feature during flowering. The seeds of Z. marina has special embryo structure with the radicle, plumule and hypocotyl wrapped by the U-shaped cotyledon, which led to a characteristic germination process. These results indicated the feasibility of collecting seeds by cultivating in vitro the reproductive shoots, where no data on phenological characteristics of Z. marina are available.
