Large blades of bull kelp in the ocean.

Plants & Algae

Seagrasses are flowering plants that can form dense underwater meadows and are an important shallow water habitat.

Seagrass Overview

Are you a student researching seagrass or someone looking to learn more about seagrass beds? This overview dives into everything to know.

Read More

Featured Content

Close-up photograph of translucent coral polyps, showing the symbiotic algae living inside.

Zooxanthellae and Coral Bleaching

two mangrove trees in the crashing waves

Mangroves

Relatively slow moving, juvenile plane-head filefish Monacanthus hispidus (Monacanthidae) travel along with the algae. They pick off and eat small animals as they move around in the rotating sargassum ball. Adult filefish only grow to be about 11

A World Adrift: Life in the Sargassum

Many species of pink coralline algae, which cements coral reefs together, cover a reef surface in the Southern Line Islands.

Coralline Algae: The Unsung Architects of Coral Reefs

Seagrasses are flowering plants that can form dense underwater meadows and are an important shallow water habitat.

How Coastal Seagrass Feeds the Deep

Are You An Educator?

At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.

see all lesson plans see plant & algae lesson plans

Plants & Algae Articles

Kelps are large, brown algae that grow along coasts around the world, especially in cooler regions.

With Every Breath You Take, Thank the Ocean

Mangrove roots provide an underwater habitat for many marine species.

Mangroves: Photos of Plants and Animals

Banner Credit