The largest plant on Earth was found in the sea – It extends to 200 square kilometers

Scientists have discovered that a huge area of ​​underwater vegetation off the west Australiawhich is about the size of about 20,000 football fields, or three times that of Manhattan, New York, in fact is a single organization, so it should considered the largest plant on Earth, but also the largest clone ever found.

Doing genetic analysisthe researchers ascertained that the Huge submarine meadow of 200 square kilometers in the shallow Shark Bay, about 800 km north of Perth, is a unique organization. It probably came from a single seed at least 4,500 years ago and then through continuous cloning reached its current size that surprised scientists.

The researchers, led by Dr. Jane Englow of the University of Western AustraliaAccording to the BBC, the New York Times and Science reported that the plant, a kind of Poseidonia (Posidonia australis), grows like grass on land at a rate of 15 to 35 cm per year. Theoretically its growth can continue indefinitely, if its environment does not change much. Today the average depth in Shark Bay is about nine meters.

The plant, which provides shelter in a variety of marine species, such as turtles, dolphins, fish, crabs, etc., can withstand temperatures of 15 to 30 degrees Celsius and is much larger than the largest fungus found on our planet. The previous record holder for the largest clone was another Posidonia (Posidonia oceanica) covering 15 km in the western Mediterranean. Poseidonias are plants, although they are often mistakenly called algae.

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