Photo Copyright 1997: E. D. Erikson

Common Name: Giant Kelp

Latin Name: Macrocystis pyrifera

Distribution: Alaska to Baja California.

Identification: This is the largest of the Pacific kelps;
it can grow more than 18 inches a day. It grows usually in
beds or 'forests.' Giant kelp are buoyed up many small gas
filled bulbs. This fast growing algae attaches to rocks on
the ocean floor by means of a large holdfast.

Habitat: Depths range from low subtidal to 20 m.
Found on rocks and other hard substrates, in areas
exposed to open sea, but mostly sheltered from
the full force of heavy wave action.

Natural History & Behavior: Tons of giant kelp is harvested
each year off the coast of California for a substance called algin.
This substance is used in food products as an emulsifying agent.
This type of algae is one of the fastest growing plants in the world.

Size: Length to over 50 m.

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by Eva May Hyde