Description: Thallus is dimunitive, usually no more than 5 cm (2 in) tall and a few mm wide. It is usually quite flat although sometimes convoluted and is more or less regularly dichotomously branched. A midrib and receptacles are usually not evident. Although morphologically and ecologically distinctive, genetic analysis revealed that this species is actually a dwarf form of Fucus distichus. Habitat: This species grows in unattached, dense patches in the upper intertidal of protected habitats, often on a soft substrate. It may or may not be associated with a stream.