Laurencia papillosa (C. Agardh) Greville

Order Family    Genus Ceramiales Rhodomelaceae Laurencia

Laurencia papillosa (C.Agardh) Greville

Characteristics

Thalli composed of several erect branches which are upto 12 cm long, 3.4 - 4.8 mm diamter and which arise from a common slender cylindrical stips attached to the substrate by a discoidal holdfast; the branches are cylindrical, decreasing in diameter from the primary to the tertiary branches; secondary branches are 13 - 27 mm long and 2.3 - 3 mm broad secund to pinately arranged on the main axis, sometimes forming irregular whorls at the apical portion; determinate branchelets have distinct apical pit, simple or bilobed at their tips and are 0.2 - 2.8 mm long by 0.8 - 1 mm broad; they are radially arranged in regular longitudinal rows on the secondary and tertiary branches, deceasing in length from base to tips of the branches; the cortical cells aare ractangular oblong 22.8 - 23.26 µ by 10.7 - 12.8 µ arranged like palisade and not projecting into the surface of the branches; secondary pit connections are absent; tetrasporophytic plants hae swollen determinate branchlets bears oval tetrahedral spores measuring 90 - 134.5 µ long and 63.5 - 100 µ broad.

Distribution : Okha, (Gujrat) Bombay,Ratnagiri, (Maharashtra) Goa, Karwar, Honawar, Bhatkal (Karnataka) Lakshadweep

Ecological status : Intertidal and subtidal zone.

IUCN status :

Uses : this species is economically important as a source of food and agaroid.