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Pterygophera californica (Woody stemmed kelp, walking kelp)
Copyright © 2006 Jan Holmes
Much of the year this kelp looks (and feels) like a gnarly piece of upright driftwood. Thick fortified haptera lead to a woody stipe up to 2 meters (6 feet) tall. A single vegetative blade arises from the top of the stipe. All other blades along the upper sides of the stipe are reproductive blades (sporophylls). The vegetative blade can reach lengths of up to 80 cm (32 in), in winter it often looks like a small stub on the top of the stipe.
Pterygophora is a perennial brown seaweed. A thin slice of stipe reveals annual growth rings. Researchers at the DeWreede lab at the University of BC estimate longevity of this seaweed to be at least 25 years from growth ring counts.
This
page was created by Jan Holmes on 12-20-2006.
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