Laminaria sinclairii
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| Laminaria sinclairii | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Division: | Ochrophyta |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Laminariales |
| Family: | Laminariaceae |
| Genus: | Laminaria |
| Species: | L. sinclairii |
| Binomial name | |
| Laminaria sinclairii (Harvey ex J.D.Hooker & Harvey) Farlow, Anderson & Eaton, 1878[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Laminaria sinclairii is a species of brown algae (the class Phaeophyceae), in the family Laminariaceae, commonly referred to as "seaweed". It is native to the lower intertidal zone of the northeastern Pacific Ocean from British Columbia southwards to California.
This dark brown, perennial kelp grows from a creeping, branching rhizome which sends up thalli at intervals. The thalli are ribbon-like and grow to a length of about 1 m (3 ft) and width of 3 cm (1.2 in) with a smooth surface and entire edges. They grow on short, cylindrical stipes some 10 cm (4 in) long and 5 mm (0.2 in) wide containing many mucilage ducts.[2] It is very similar in appearance to Laminaria longipes but that species does not have mucilage glands in the stipes. In 1972, the American phycologist James W. Markham did some transplanting experiments to try to determine whether the presence of mucilage glands is a distinctive feature or the two species were identical. He found that they were indeed distinct and that there were some other differences between the two related to the width of blades, the shedding of the blades, the morphology of the reproductive structures, temperature tolerance and habitat preference.[3]