Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales of the Phaeophyceae class. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs, and the genus is widely known for its planktonic (free-floating) species. Most species within the class Phaeophyceae are predominantly cold-water organisms that benefit from nutrients upwelling, but the genus Sargassum appears to be an exception. Any number of the normally benthic species may take on a planktonic, often pelagic existence after being removed from reefs during rough weather. Two species have become holopelagic—reproducing vegetatively and never attaching to the seafloor during their lifecycles. The Atlantic Ocean's Sargasso Sea was named after the algae, as it hosts a large amount of Sargassum.
Ulva lactuca, also known by the common name sea lettuce, is an edible green alga in the family Ulvaceae. It is the type species of the genus Ulva. A synonym is U. fenestrata, referring to its "windowed" or "holed" appearance.
Halimeda is a genus of green macroalgae. The algal body (thallus) is composed of calcified green segments. Calcium carbonate is deposited in its tissues, making it inedible to most herbivores. However one species, Halimeda tuna, was described as pleasant to eat with oil, vinegar, and salt.
Bryopsis is a genus of marine green algae in the family Bryopsidaceae. It is frequently a pest in aquariums, where it is commonly referred to as hair algae.
Turbinaria is a genus of brown algae (Phaeophyceae) found primarily in tropical marine waters. It generally grows on rocky substrates. In tropical Turbinaria species that are often preferentially consumed by herbivorous fishes and echinoids, there is a relatively low level of phenolics and tannins.
Kappaphycus alvarezii, the elkhorn sea moss, is a species of red algae. The elkhorn sea moss varies in size, weight, and age. It is a dark greenish-brown hue and can sometimes be deep purple. The moss is cylindrical in shape throughout the seaweed. Its diameter averages 1.526 mm when dried. Near the base of the seaweed, its average length is from 1 mm to 17 mm and 1 mm to 2 mm in diameter. Firm algae are around 2 m tall, with axes and branches around 1–2 cm in diameter. It used to be believed they reproduced through vegetative fermentation, but recent studies show that they reproduce sexually. They reproduce through vegetative propagation and reproduce sexually. Cross sections of the Elkhorn sea moss have a medulla composed of small thick-walled cells interspaced among large parenchyma cells. This moss is used for various types of foods that humans consume and can also be used to make a jelly-like dessert. This moss is a very good source of minerals and of high commercial interest. It is one of the most important commercial sources of carrageenans, a family of gel-forming, viscosifying polysaccharides. Farming methods affect the character of the carrageenan that can be extracted from the seaweed. It is very fast-growing, known to double its biomass in 15 days.
Limu, otherwise known as rimu or ʻimu is a general Polynesian term for edible plants living underwater, such as seaweed, or plants living near water, like algae. In Hawaii, there are approximately one hundred names for kinds of limu, sixty of which can be matched with scientific names. Hundreds of species of marine algae were once found in Hawaii. Many limu are edible, and used in the cuisine throughout most of Polynesia.
Isabella Aiona Abbott was an educator, phycologist, and ethnobotanist from Hawaii. The first native Hawaiian woman to receive a PhD in science, she became a leading expert on Pacific marine algae.
Asparagopsis taxiformis, formerly A. sanfordiana, is a species of red algae, with cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to warm temperate waters. Researchers have demonstrated that feeding ruminants a diet containing 0.2% A. taxiformis seaweed reduced their methane emissions by nearly 99 percent.
Lobophora is a genus of thalloid brown seaweed of the Phylum Ochrophyta; Class Phaeophyceae.
Lobophora variegata is a species of small thalloid brown alga which grows intertidally or in shallow water in tropical and warm temperate seas. It has three basic forms, being sometimes ruffled, sometimes reclining and sometimes encrusting, and each form is typically found in a different habitat. This seaweed occurs worldwide. It is the type species of the genus Lobophora, the type locality being the Antilles in the West Indies.
Colpomenia sinuosa, commonly named the oyster thief or sinuous ballweed, is a brown algae species in the genus Colpomenia. It is the type species of its genus and is widespread in tropical to temperate zones around the world.
Padina boergesenii, commonly known as the leafy rolled-blade alga, is a species of small brown alga found in the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean. This seaweed was named in honour of the Danish botanist and phycologist Frederik Børgesen.
Codium edule is a green alga common on shallow reef flats from the intertidal to the subtidal in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. The species is common in Hawaiʻi where it is usually called wāwaeʻiole and considered an edible alga or limu. Prominent ethnobotanist, Isabella Abbott, described its usage in her writing.
Formerly known as Sargassum echinocarpum, Sargassum aquifolium is an abundant brown algae of the order Fucales, class Phaeophyceae, genus Sargassum. In Hawaii, it is commonly known as limu kala. This alga is endemic to Hawaiʻi, one out of the four endemic species of endemic Sargassum.
Sargassum polyphyllum is a species of brown macroalgae or limu (seaweed) in the order Fucales.
Padina sanctae-crucis is a species of brown macroalgae in the family Dictyotaceae. It is a tropical brown algae species native to the south pacific that belongs to the Padina genus. this alga includes sexual reproduction and spore-producing asexual reproduction which is moved with the tide until spores plants itself on a hard rocky substrate. Other habitats include rocks and shell fragments in the shallow sublittoral, seagrass meadows, mangrove roots and coral reefs on tidal flats.
Halimeda discoidea is a species of calcareous green algae in the order Bryopsidales. It is commonly known as Money Plant due to its appearance and is usually found in the tropics.
