Air fern

Colony of Sertularia argentea

Sertularia argentea is a species of cnidarians of the order Leptomedusae.

Habitat and colonies

The plant-like colonies of polyps of this type colonize the littoral of the European seas and the North Atlantic from the Arctic to Cape Hatteras.

The colonies of Sertularia argentea outwardly resemble a small Föhrenbaum, which is why they are sometimes called also "sea fir " ( Seeföhre ). They normally reach a length of 15 cm, but can be up to 30 cm long.

" Neptune plant"

The colonies are often by-catch of trawlers fishing for the North Sea. Dried and dyed green to see the skeletons of colonies of such a plant. They are used under names such as " Neptune plant" as decoration.

Sometimes, such " plants" advertised with the claim that they had a insect controlling effect. The British Advertising Standards Authority banned such advertising claims in 2008 to be incorrect.