What is "vallisneria spiralis"

Tape \Tape\, n. [AS. t[ae]ppe a fillet. Cf. Tapestry, Tippet.]

1. A narrow fillet or band of cotton or linen; a narrow woven fabric used for strings and the like; as, curtains tied with tape.

2. A tapeline; also, a metallic ribbon so marked as to serve as a tapeline; as, a steel tape.

   Red tape. See under Red.

   Tape grass (Bot.), a plant ( Vallisneria spiralis) with long ribbonlike leaves, growing in fresh or brackish water; -- called also fresh-water eelgrass, and, in Maryland, wild celery.

   Tape needle. See Bodkin, n., 4.

Vallisneria spiralis, also known as straight vallisneria, tape grass, or eel grass is a common aquarium plant that prefers good light and a nutrient rich substrate. In the wild, it can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide. It has narrow, linear leaves that range in colour from a pale-green to reddish up to 3 feet (1 m) long and up to 0.75 inches broad. V. spiralis is monoecious with flowers carried on long spiral stalks that break away from the plant and float on the water's surface. Seeds have not been observed germinating in aquaria. Instead, it most often propagates by runners which can lead to dense stands.

One form of this plant has been described: V. spiralis f. tortifolia, which has also been elevated to the species level by some taxonomists under the name V. tortissima. The form has tightly twisted leaves. Along with this form, many other trade names have been developed for small variations on the species. Their taxonomic status is uncertain.