Seaweeds of the South African South Coast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Order Ceramiales

Family Rhodomelaceae

Pachychaeta Kützing

Plants comprising prostrate and erect axes, cylindrical, polysiphonous, uncorticated. Prostrate axes either stoloniferous or rhizomatous, latter bearing specialized adventitious, polysiphonous branches for attachment, true rhizoids absent. Axes with 6-16 pericentral cells: number, shape and arrangement varying with species. Trichoblasts absent, lateral branches exogenous or adventitious. Erect axes arising irregularly from stoloniferous axes. Reproductive structures developing on reduced branchlets that are spirally arranged on erect axes. Cystocarps globose, one per branchlet, without ostiole. Tetrasporangia two per segment. Two species are currently recognized, both endemic to southern Africa.

Key to species

1a. Axes about 1 mm in diameter, cells hexagonal in surface view	P. brachyarthra
1b. Axes up to 250 µm in diameter, hexagonal cells not visible	P. cryptoclada

 

 

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 18 November 2024.