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Lomentaria articulata (Hudson) Lyngbye
Le Jolis
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RHODOPHYCEAE
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(jointed pod weed)
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| Photo details | ||
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Whole plant on lower shore bedrock. Scale: Plant length 3 cm Location:Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire - Photographer:F. Bunker - Date:02/01/2002 - Identified By:F. Bunker - Verified By:C. Maggs |
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| Identification Notes | ||
| terete or compressed fronds up to 10 cm long, constricted into oval or club shaped hollow segments 4 to 10 mm long and 1 to 5 mm in diameter with fronds arising from a small discoid holdfast. Branches are born in the constrictions between segments but branching pattern is variable and may be dichotomous, alternate or opposite and arranged in whorls or more or less on one plane. Small apical segments form characteristic ' bunny ears' . Colour is typically a brown to bright red and the surface is shiny. Plants are typically turgid but after emersion, may loose firmness. Other characterising features: Plants are dioecious with spermatangia produced in pale sori covering the surface of younger segments (reported in August). cystocarps are external and hemispherical to conical in shape, 500 to 600 µm in diameter and have a thick cortical pericarp plus a prominent pore (reported January and April to October). Tetrasporangia are approximately 60 µm in diameter and occur in cortical depressions in younger segments (occurring throughout the year). Irvine, 1983 |
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| Confusion | ||
| Chylocladia verticillata has barrel-shaped segments, cystocarps without a pore and tetrasporangia are not in cortical depressions. C. verticillata does not have ' bunny ears' at the apices (see above). Catenella caespitosa has a less regular in size and shape to its segments and branching pattern, reattaches with secondary haptera and does not bear tetrasporangia in cortical depressions nor have ' bunny ears' . |
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| Habitat | ||
| Occurs mainly in the littoral but also occurs sublittorally to 18 m. It can be both epilithic and epiphytic and in the littoral it is a characteristic component of shaded habitats and can occur both in and out of pools. |
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| Recorded distribution | ||
| Generally distributed around the British Isles. |
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| Researched by | ||
| F. Bunker / C. Maggs |
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| Synonyms | ||
| Acknowledgements | ||
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Additional Photos
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| Whole plant on lower shore bedrock. Scale: Plant length 3 cm Location:Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire - Photographer:F. Bunker - Date:02/01/2002 - Identified By:F. Bunker - Verified By:C. Maggs | ||
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