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Genus (i.e. Fucus)
Species (i.e. Gardneri)
Common Name (i.e. Rock Weed)
Phylum (i.e. Ochrophyta)
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Red Cellophane
Wildemania amplissima
Authority:
(Kjellman) Foslie
North Pacific Distribution:
Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to Monterey Peninsula, California; Japan; Russia
Phylum:
Rhodophyta
Class:
Bangiophyceae
Order:
Bangiales
Family:
Bangiaceae
Former Scientific Names:
Diploderma amplissimum, Porphyra miniata var. amplissima, Porphyra amplissima, Wildemania cuneiformis, Porphyra cuneiformis, P. miniata f. cuneiformis
Description: Thallus is light pink, variable in shape, and can reach more than 100 cm (39 in) in length. It is very thin although it is actually two cell layers thick (distromatic). The margin of the blade often appears filmy because of scattered reproductive cells. Habitat: This species is often found on clam shells on sandy beaches at low tide in spring and early summer; it can also grow on rock. Similar taxa: Wildemania variegata, another distromatic species, is thicker, and the blade is sectored into separate male and female halves.
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