Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Sphacelariales

Family Stypocaulaceae

Halopteris

Plants brown, a few to about 20 cm tall, arising from a matted rhizoidal holdfast and forming erect tufts or complanate thalli. Axes terete, profusely branched, structure of large medullary cells covered by a single layer of cortical cells, additional cortication near bases of thalli by down-growing rhizoids. Branching initiated below the conspicuous apical cell at the tip of each axis; branching pinnate or irregularly radial. Unilocular sporangia sometimes found in our species; gametangia relatively rare. Nineteen species are recognised worldwide (MD Guiry in Guiry & Guiry 2017); two are recorded on our south coast.

Key to the species

1. Branching radial, thalli a few to 20 cm tall, resembling furry brushes	H. funicularis
2. Branching alternately pinnate, thalli up to 3 cm tall, feather-like	H. filicina

M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2017. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 24 October 2017.

 

Cite this record as:

Anderson RJ, Stegenga H, Bolton JJ. 2016. Seaweeds of the South African South Coast.
World Wide Web electronic publication, University of Cape Town, http://southafrseaweeds.uct.ac.za; Accessed on 23 April 2024.