''Laminaria ochroleuca'' is a large

kelp Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms. Kelp grows in "underwa ...

, an

alga Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

in the order Laminariales.Bunker, F.StP,D., Brodie, J.A., Maggs, C.A. and Bunker, A.R. 2017. ''Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland. Second Edition.'' Wild Nature Press, Plymouth, UK. They are commonly known as golden kelp, due to their blade colouration, distinguishing them from ''

Laminaria hyperborea ''Laminaria hyperborea'' is a species of large brown alga, a kelp in the family Laminariaceae, also known by the common names of tangle and cuvie. It is found in the sublittoral zone of the northern Atlantic Ocean. A variety, ''Laminaria hyperbo ...

Description

This large brown alga can grow to a length of 2 m. It has large leathery blades or

frond A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the lar ...

s which grow from a stipe. The blade is without a

midrib This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

and divided into smooth linear sections. The stipe is stalk-like, stiff, smooth and attached to rocks by a claw-like holdfast. It is similar to ''

'' but it is more yellow in colourHardy, F.G. and Guiry, M.D. 2003. ''A Check-list and Atlas of the Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland''. British Phycological Society, London. and does not have the rough stipe of ''L. hyperborea''.

Reproduction

The life-cycle is of the large diploid sporophyte alternating with the microscopic haploid stages producing female

gametophyte A gametophyte () is one of the two alternating multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has one set of chromosomes. The gametophyte is the ...

s which are fertilized by male gametophytes (sperm).

Distribution

This species is found in the Northern Hemisphere, from Morocco to the south of England In the UK, it was first documented in Plymouth Sound in 1946 and its range expansion continues due to climate change. It was found on the northeast coast of England beyond the Humber estuary before 1965.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q12236931 Laminariaceae Marine biota of Europe