Biodiversity & Conservation

Tangle or cuvie - Laminaria hyperborea - General information

Laminaria hyperborea

Image Keith Hiscock - Laminaria hyperborea. Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Laminaria hyperborea recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Laminaria hyperborea is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Dr Harvey Tyler-Walters Text page icon Refereed by: Dr Joanna Jones

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Ochrophyta Brown and yellow-green seaweeds
Class Phaeophyceae
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Found on most coasts of Britain and Ireland. Scarce along the south east coast of Britain due to a lack of suitable substrata.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on bedrock or other stable substrata from extreme low water to depths dependant on light penetration and sea urchin grazing (typically about 8 m depth in coastal waters to 30 m in clear coastal waters). It grows as dense forests under suitable conditions. Found at depths of up to 47 m around St Kilda.
Text page icon Description A large conspicuous kelp which can grow up to 3.5 m in length in suitable conditions although this length is rarely attained (J. Jones, pers. comm.). The blade is broad, large, tough, flat and divided into 5 - 20 straps or fingers (digitate). The blade is glossy, golden brown to very dark brown in colour. The holdfast is large, conical and branched with conspicuous haptera. The stipe is stiff, rough textured, thick at the base and tapers towards the frond. The stipe stands erect when out of water. The stipe is often covered with numerous epifauna and epiflora. The amount of energy allocated to growth of the stipe, and consequently maximum length of stipe, varies with season, the age of plant and location. This species is often confused with Laminaria digitata, especially when young.

This review can be cited as follows:

Dr Harvey Tyler-Walters 2007. Laminaria hyperborea. Tangle or cuvie. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 22/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3614>