Common Brown Seaweed Blades Part 1

Terms and Morphometrics of Kelps and Other Brown Seaweed Blades in Maine

Maine has at least ten species of brown seaweed blades* in its flora. Most of them are kelps– members of the Laminariales Order. But the blade form is found in other brown seaweeds that are only distantly related to kelps, and differentiating between them can be difficult.

This infographic guide focuses on the terms and morphometrics of 7 species of kelps and other brown seaweed blades in Maine: Agarum clathratum, Alaria esculenta, Hedophyllum nigripes, Laminaria digitata, Laminaria digitata, and Saccharina latissima, Saccorhiza dermatodea.

*In seaweed morphology, a blade refers to a solid, flattened portion of the thallus (the whole seaweed structure).