Biodiversity & Conservation

Wakame - Undaria pinnatifida - General information

Undaria pinnatifida

Image Keith Hiscock - Undaria pinnatifida growing on pontoons at Queen Annes Battery, Plymouth Sound. Image width ca 1 m.
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Distribution map

Undaria pinnatifida 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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Undaria pinnatifida is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Judith Oakley Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Ochrophyta Brown and yellow-green seaweeds
Class Phaeophyceae
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Recorded from the Hamble (Solent), Isle of Wight, Torquay, Plymouth and Jersey.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Wakame is an introduced species of brown seaweed in Europe found subtidally, often growing on man-made structures such as marina pontoons. In its native habitat, it occurs in dense stands, forming a thick canopy on a wide range of shores from low tide level down to 15 m in clear waters.
Text page icon Description Undaria pinnatifida or wakame is a large brown kelp with a branched holdfast giving rise to a stipe. Just above the holdfast, the stipe has very wavy edges, giving it a corrugated appearance. The stipe gives rise to a blade that is broad, flattened and lanceolate. It has a distinct midrib. The margins of the blade are wavy. Plants can reach an overall length of one to three metres. Undaria pinnatifida is an annual species with two separate life stages.

This review can be cited as follows:

Judith Oakley 2007. Undaria pinnatifida. Wakame. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 03/09/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=4547>