Laminaria ochroleuca Bachelot de la Pylaie
Names: Golden Kelp (English).
Ceilp Ór (Irish); includes
Laminaria pallida
var. iberica Hamel
Description: 1.5-2 m in length when mature; frond borne
on a stiff, erect, cylindrical stipe that snaps when it is bent,
rarely with heavy covering of epithpytes; stipe expanding to a
single frond with a golden-brown colour, particulalry at the
base of the frond in the area of growth; frond generally cleft
into irregular laciniate segments.
Distinguishing features: Similar to
Laminaria hyperborea
but with lighter-coloured fronds. Caution is required in
identification as young plants of
Laminaria hyperboreaare often light-coloured. Records from areas with no previous
records require DNA confirmation.
Habitat: ELWS to 20 m.
Distribution: W Ireland (rare and only recently reported)
and SW Britain (since 1940s) south to Morocco, Canary Islands
Spanish Sahara; records from Namibia require further
investigation as they may represent
Laminaria pallida
Greville. Since the 1940s the species seems to be extending its range
northwards, perhaps aided by leisure craft. The species has
recently been found in the shallow subtidal of Béal an
Mhuirthead, County Mayo, Ireland Schoenrock & al. (2019)
Photograph: ELWS, Salcome, Devon, UK. ©
M.D. Guiry
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