Lessonia trabeculata
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| Lessonia trabeculata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Division: | Ochrophyta |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Laminariales |
| Family: | Lessoniaceae |
| Genus: | Lessonia |
| Species: | L. trabeculata |
| Binomial name | |
| Lessonia trabeculata Villouta & Santelices, 1986[1] | |
Lessonia trabeculata is a species of kelp, a brown alga in the genus Lessonia. It grows subtidally off the coasts of Peru and northern and central Chile, with the closely related Lessonia nigrescens tending to form a separate zone intertidally. Lessonia trabeculata kelp have gained a great economic importance for alginate production, and its harvest has greatly intensified along the Chilean coast during past two decades [2]
This kelp can grow to a length of 2.5 m (8 ft). It is distinguished from all other members of the genus by the presence of trabeculae (cross struts) in the hollow centres of the blades and stipes (stems), and by the massive and irregular holdfast by which the kelp is attached to the rocks.[3]
