Kelp Beds at Portavade showing the Kelp holfast
fixing it to the rock.Tangle kelp belongs to a group of large
brown seaweed called kelps. Found on the extreme lower part of
the shore it is always covered by water except during extremely
low tides. Slat mara is the stem of Oarweed (another name for
Tangle Kelp). Iodine is extracted from it and it is used in some
medicines. Farmers collect it and tie them with rope made of straw.
When dried it is sold by weight. It is anchored to the sea floor
by the holdfast.
Dulse cannot survive drying out but can
cope with low light levels. It is found on the lower shore
growing on rocks. It is one of the many red seaweeds that
can be dried and eaten.
Bladder wrack is seaweed that is mainly found
on the middle of a rocky shore. It is olive green and it can grow
from 15cm to 100cm. It has air bladders to help it float so that
it can get food from the sun.
The saw-like or serrated edge
fo its frond gives this seawed its common name. It is olive
green in colour and it is found on the lower shoreline wher
its rough, flexible frond helps to reduce damage from waves.
Its strong holdfast prevents it being washed away.
Egg wrack is a type of a brown seaweed.It is usually found
on sheltered shores.It has a disc-like holdfast to grip the rock.It
has long fronds that are slightly flattened and it
has many branches. Its large oval air bladders grow along the
frond singly. Hence the name egg wrack.
Carrageen is a small red bushy seaweed.It was
in the past often eaten by people for its healing properties
and is a very common seaweed all along the western seaboard
Sea Lettuce is normally found in the lower
and subtidal zones. Its habitat is on rocks or in rockpools.Its
colour is bright green and it can grow up to 40cm. It
can also be found growing in large amounts.
Link Frond is a common seaweed,which is bright
green in colour.It has delicate hollow fronds that have an inflated
and crinkled appearance.Link frond is found in rockpools and
under seaweed over whole shores,forming large blankets of cover.It
is one of the few seaweeds that can survive in polluted water.
