|
Urospora sp. (green hair, green barrels)
Copyright © 2006 Jan Holmes
Rocks that look like they are growing green hair are often covered by the unbranching filamentous green algae Urospora. A pinch full of this seaweed in clean seawater will separate into individual filaments enabling you to see (better with a hand lens) long filaments of swollen barrel-shaped cells resembling strands of green pearls. Urospora can be found in the mid to low intertial. Individual filaments average 10 cm (4 inches) in length.
Hairy green rocks high in the intertidal are more likely to be covered with Ulothrix sp. Cells of Ulothrix filaments are wider than long, not barrel or pearl shaped like Urospora. Moreover, new growth of some species of Enteromorpha can resemble green hair or green fuzz until they grow long enough to take on their ribbon or string or blade-like appearance.
This
page was created by Jan Holmes on 8/19/06.
|
