''Laminaria digitata'' is a large

brown alga Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class (biology), class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Laminariaceae Laminariaceae is a family of brown algal seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlor ...

, also known by the common name oarweed. It is found in the

sublittoral zone The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated ...

of the northern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Description

''Laminaria digitata'' is a tough, leathery, dark brown seaweed that grows to two or three metres. The holdfast which anchors it to the rock is conical and has a number of spreading root-like protrusions called

rhizoid Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be unic ...

s. The stipe or stalk is flexible and oval in cross section and may be over 1 inch in diameter and grow to 5 feet in length. The blade is large and shaped like the palm of a hand with a number of more or less regular finger-like segments. This

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

can be distinguished from the rather similar ''

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 ...

'' by being darker in colour and having a shorter stipe that does not easily snap when bent.Laminaria digitata (Hudson) J.V. Lamouroux
The Seaweed Site. Retrieved 2011-09-22.

Reproduction

The life cycle is of the large

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

sporophyte A sporophyte () is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga which produces asexual spores. This stage alternates with a multicellular haploid gametophyte phase. Life cycle The sporophyte develops from the zygote pr ...

s and microscopic gametophytes. Spores develop in sori which occur over the central part of the blade.Bunker, F.StP.D., Maggs, C.A., Brodie, J.A. and Bunker A.R. 2017, ''Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.'' Second Edition. Wild Nature Press, Plymouth, UK.

Distribution

''Laminaria digitata'' occurs in the north west Atlantic from

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

south to

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

and in the north east Atlantic from northern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

south to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is common round the coasts of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

except for much of the east coast of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Ecology

''Laminaria digitata'' is found mostly on exposed sites on shores in the lower littoral where it may form extensive meadows and can be the dominant algal species. It has a fairly high intrinsic growth rate compared to other algae, 5.5% per day, and a carrying capacity of about 40 kg wet weight per square meter. It may reach lengths of about 4 m. It overlaps to a small degree in distribution with ''

Fucus serratus ''Fucus serratus'' is a seaweed of the north Atlantic Ocean, known as toothed wrack or serrated wrack. Description and reproduction ''Fucus serratus'' is a robust alga, olive-brown in colour and similar to ''Fucus vesiculosus'' and ''Fucus spir ...

'' and ''

Alaria esculenta ''Alaria esculenta'' is an edible seaweed, also known as dabberlocks or badderlocks, or winged kelp. It is a traditional food along the coasts of the far north Atlantic Ocean. It may be eaten fresh or cooked in Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and Ir ...

''. It is highly susceptible to grazing by sea urchins, among other species. It has low and high light limitation values of about 5 and 70 W per square meter respectively. Its distribution is also limited by salinity, wave exposure, temperature, desiccation and general stress. These and other attributes of the alga are summarized in the publications listed below. It is a known host of the pathogenic fungus ''

Phycomelaina laminariae ''Phycomelaina'' is a genus of fungi in the family Phyllachoraceae. This is a monotypic genus, containing the single species ''Phycomelaina laminariae''. In Iceland, it has been reported infecting ''Alaria esculenta'', ''Laminaria digitata'' and ...

''.Helgi Hallgrímsson & Guðríður Gyða Eyjólfsdóttir (2004)
''Íslenskt sveppatal I - smásveppir'' [Checklist of Icelandic Fungi I - Microfungi
Fjölrit Náttúrufræðistofnunar. Náttúrufræðistofnun Íslands [Icelandic Institute of Natural History]. ISSN 1027-832X

Uses

''Laminaria digitata'' is harvested offshore of France and Morocco for use in manufacturing alginic acid. It is used as an ingredient in some cosmetics. It was traditionally used as a fertiliser and spread on the land. In the 18th century it was burnt to extract the potash it contained for use in the glass industry. In the 19th century it was used for the extraction of

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

. Historically, the dried stalks of ''L digitata'', called ''sea-tangle tents'' were used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

an abortifacient and for mechanically inducing labour.

References

External links

Laminaria Digitata on AlgaeBase
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1093337 Laminariaceae Edible algae Edible seaweeds Biota of the Atlantic Ocean Marine biota of Europe Marine biota of North America Flora of Subarctic America Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of France Flora of Northern Europe Flora without expected TNC conservation status