Kelp, Red-ware, Sea-girdles
Laminaria digitata

Family: Laminariaceae

What it is like

A brown seaweed. It has a thick oval stipe.

Where it is found

Temperate. It grows on rocky shores just below the low tide mark. It can be in rock pools.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Arctic, Atlantic, Britain, Canada, Canary Islands, Denmark, Europe, France, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Namibia, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Scandinavia, Scotland, South Africa, Southern Africa, Spain, USA

How it is used for food

It is eaten sun dried or smoke dried. It is a major source of algin used as an emulsifier in salad dressing, ice cream and as a gelling agent in foods. The fresh or dried fronds are eaten as a cooked vegetable or for making soup.

Edible parts

Seaweed, frond, algae

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Fingered tangle, Fingertare, Finger kombu, Horsetail kelp, Oarweed, Sea tangle, Sea-wand, Sea-ware, Strap wrack, Tangle, Tangle tail, Wheelbangs

Synonyms

Fucus digitatus Hudson; Gigantea digitata (Hudson) Stackhouse; Hafgygia digitata (Hudson) Kutzing; Saccharina digitata (Hudson) Kuntze; and others