# Mermaid's wine glass (*Acetabularia acetabulum*)

The Mermaid's wine glass is a special sea plant that looks like a tiny green umbrella! It grows in the ocean and is very unique because of its shape, which is perfect for catching sunlight.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Coastal areas

![Mermaid's wine glass](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Acetabularia_meditarranea.jpg&width=800)

Photo: albert kok en:User:Albert Kok, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acetabularia_meditarranea.jpg)

## Appearance

The Mermaid's wine glass has a slender, calcified stalk topped with a delicate, disc-shaped cap, often light green or whitish. Its unique ribbed cap resembles a tiny, translucent parasol or a miniature wine glass, distinguishing it from other marine algae.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Chlorophyta
- **Class:** Ulvophyceae
- **Order:** Dasycladales
- **Family:** Polyphysaceae
- **Genus:** Acetabularia

## Interesting facts

- It helps create sandy beaches by slowly breaking down into fine particles!
- It's like a tiny, green parasol for little ocean creatures to hide under!
- Scientists once used it to show how cell brains (nuclei) control body parts!
- Some Mermaid's wine glasses can grow as tall as your finger!

## Special abilities

- **Giant Cell Power:** Mermaid's wine glass is a single, giant cell that can grow up to several centimeters, making it a cellular marvel.
- **Regeneration Ring:** Mermaid's wine glass can regenerate its cap if it's damaged, thanks to its special ability to store calcium.
- **Internal Clock:** Mermaid's wine glass has an internal clock, controlled by its nucleus, allowing it to prepare for day and night.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 1-10 cm
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Water

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Lettuce Sea Slug (*Elysia timida*) — This sea slug becomes solar-powered by eating its cells.
- **Eats:** Black Turban Snail (*Tegula funebralis*) — A common snail that grazes on its surface for food.
- **Eats:** Long-spined Sea Urchin (*Diadema antillarum*) — This urchin grazes on algae, helping to keep coral reefs healthy.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Salt Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/salt-tolerant): Salt tolerant plants can withstand and grow in conditions with elevated salinity levels in the soil or water.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life.
- [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch sea plants, as they can be delicate.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Mermaid's wine glass?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Mermaid's wine glass?

1-10 cm

### Is Mermaid's wine glass edible?

No

### Is Mermaid's wine glass toxic?

None

### What is Mermaid's wine glass's lifecycle?

Perennial

### How is Mermaid's wine glass pollinated?

Water

### Where is Mermaid's wine glass usually found?

Coastal areas

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Mermaid's wine glass: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mermaids-wine-glass)