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Name derivation: |
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Classification: |
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Sargassum C. Agardh 1820; 353 of 941 spcies descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2016). Order Fucales; Family Sargassaceae |
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Morphology: |
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Thallus can grow to 2 m or more long with from one to a few stipes 1 – 20 cm long. Stipes are distributed radially or disthchously and are produced seasonally, later deshiscent leaving scars. Air bladders are usually present. Monoecious or dioecious. Receptacles uni- or bisexual (Ibid.). Blades are flat, broad to thin, simple or forked, usually with a midrib (Dawes and Mathieson 2008).
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Habitat: |
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Marine subtropical habitats. Reported from Florida, Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, eastern tropical Atlantic and India (Ibid.). Some species, especially S. natans and S. fluitans, detach from sea sediments and become planktonic 'floaters', often developing masses large in area between western Africa and southern U.S.A. states, such as Florida. When the floaters reach shore they cause concern for fishermen and beach tourists because of the mass of the vegetation, and the unpleasant odor of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production as it decays. The Sargasso Sea is named after Sargassum, not bound by land, rather by ocean currents. The sea is a clockwise gyre with seawater that has clarity of approximately 61 m.
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References: |
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Agardh, C.A. 1820 '1821'. Species algarum rite cognitae, cum synonymis, differentiis specificis et descriptionibus succinctis. Volumen primum. Pars prima. pp. [i-iv], [1]-168. Lundae [Lund]: ex officina Berlingiana. Dawes, C.J. and A.C. Mathieson 2008. Seaweeds of Florida. University Press of Florida (592 pp). Guiry, M.D., and G.M. Guiry 2016. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 16 January 2013.
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