Sea Grapes(C. racemosa) are actually a type of green algae so named for their resemblence to grapes.It occurs from shallow muddy bays to clear water reef environments, at depths from near the surface to 100 m. It can occur adjacent to living corals and has even been observed growing on the coral Acropora palmata . This plant has erect branches arising from a horizontal stolon attached to the sediment at intervals by descending rhizomes. The erect branches arise every few centimeters, reaching as much as 30 cm in height. Sea grape is also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid, vitamin B2 & E, and micronutrients Zn, Ca, Mg, Se, Fe, Mn, Co. It is prepared not only as sole fresh salad but also mixed with sea food or meat, deserved high price from the beautiful look, delicious taste and nutritive value.
C. racemosa reproduces vegetatively mainly by fragmentation. When pieces of the plant get broken off they develop into new plants. Small pieces of tissue only a few millimetres across are capable of doing this.
C. racemosa can also reproduce sexually and in so doing exhibits holocarpy. This means that all the organism's cytoplasm is used up in the creation of the gametes and only a husk remains at the site of the original plant. The plants are monoecious with male and female gametes being produced by the same plant and liberated into the water column where they unite to give spherical zygotes.
ref: http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=caribbean_diving_guide&id=489
http://flora.coa.gov.tw/view_eng.php?id=322
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