Shallow subtidal rocks
S.E. shore, Pt. Roberts
Whatcom Co., Wash.
5/31/78
It is a stretched ellipse of thin leaf. At its base it is opaque and brown, quickly becomes nearly transparent, and picks up a green tint ending up a light olive green. It has smooth edges and surface, and a plastic texture.
300dpi detail of two sections. The left half is at the base, showing the brown color and opacity, and the right shows in contrast its light color near the end.
Iridophycus sp. cf. splendens
boulders, middle intertidal
Shell Is. Area, N. Cove, Cape Arago,
Coos Co., Oregon. 7/21/71
The appearance of the dried specimen is that of plastic: smooth, satin, dark maroon and translucent. It is a long, rounded rectangle with irregular edges, and the stem growing from a corner.
Macro photo detail of an edge. The sample is above the background so it is possible to see how light can pass though it. The leaf's shadow on the paper behind it cuts across the bottom fourth of this image.
Gigartina sp.
beach drift 1½mi. N. of
Partridge Pt., Whidbey Is.
Island Co., Wash. 9/30/71
The leaf has an elongated, flat teardrop shape with a thin but sturdy thickness to it, covered in tiny triangular scale-like teeth. It is reddish brown in color.
300dpi detail of the root system and the spread of leaves stemming from it.
Macro photo detail of a section of the leaf, showing the surface scales.
subtidal rocks, Pt. Francis,
Whatcom Co., Wash 5/18/72
[text from another (89dpi) sample]:
on rocks, 20'-30' depth
W. of Observatory Pt.,
Clallam Co., Wash.
5/28/78
This sample is nearly transparent pink, and is made up of four stretched tear-drop shaped leaves, which acquire holes typically three-eighths of an inch across. The surface is smooth and somewhat glossy.
300dpi detail of the convergence of the leaves and showing some holes.
Macro photo detail of the middle of the right edge of the second sample, showing the deeper red color and some holes. The largest hole here (at far left) measures about one-sixteenth of an inch tall.
(Haney) Kylin
low intertidal rocks
S.E. of Birch Point,
Whatcom Co., Wash
5/30/72
The plant is a single maroon leaf, which tapers quickly to a point at the root system. The surface has tiny ridges that casually appear as dots to the naked eye, evenly distributed in islands bounded by weaving strands of smooth surface generally radiating from the root.
300dpi detail of the central portion of the lower sample, showing the pattern described above.
Macro photo detail of the central portion of the 300dpi image.
on lowermost intertidal rocks
W. of Jim Creek,
Clallam Co., Wash
6/20/78
The leaves appear nearly transparent and maroon; construction is a leafy branching of very broad, extremely thin and smooth material with rounded ends. Some edges appear frilled on a small scale.
The sample appears to have shrunk as it dried, and has broken across several sections.
300dpi detail of the convergence at the stalk.
300dpi detail of the rounded edges.
on low intertidal rocks,
E. of Bullman Creek,
Clallam CO., Wash
6/21/78
The leaves appear translucent and maroon; construction is a leafy fractal of wide, extremely thin branchings with a smooth surface.
300dpi detail of the lower sample at the root, showing a second plant emerging.
300dpi detail of some ends in the upper sample. Note the continued splitting of the leaves.
middle intertidal rocks,
Pt. of Arches, S. side,
Clallam Co., Wash,
6/22/78
The branches and leaves of this plant are very similar and flat, looking like long streaks widely and irregularly spaced. It has a smooth surface, colored translucent brown to nearly black in older/central growth.
300dpi detail of a nexus in the upper portion of the sample.
Macro photo detail of the upper central region of the above 300dpi image.
Laurencia spectabilis
Postels and Ruprecht.
beach drift 1½mi. N. of Partridge
Pt., Whidbey Is., Island Co.
Wash. 9/30/71
...with epiphytic bryozoans and large
diatoms (coccinodiscus)
The plant is smooth, flat and thin, with a series of branches that maintain their widths to the ends. Smaller branches are regularly spaced along both sides of each larger branch. The color is a dark rusty red, and is translucent.
Macro photo detail of a region in the lower sample, densely populated with diatoms.
Macro photo detail of the branching structure in the upper sample.
Schmitz
washed up.
Ft. Casey St. Pk., Whidbey Is.
Island Co., Wash. 6/10/72
Leaves appear maroon and translucent; construction of each leaf is smooth, thin, and flat; arrangement is feather-like.
300dpi detail of the upper-right area at the tips.
Macro photo detail of a random area along a branch.
300dpi detail of the area centered on the root.
40' on rocks, collected by SCUBA
Pilali Point, Babob Bay
Hood Canal, Wash. 2/12/78
[text from another (150dpi) sample]: 300dpi detail of branching in the upper-right sample.
pink to dark red in color
lower intertidal and subtidal rocks
Bushy, but branching in only two dimensions
Note the distinctive mode of branchingThe upper-right sample measuers 5" x 6".
The lacy look of this plant is due to a fractal-like splitting of branches into smaller copies.
Macro photo detail of the area central to the 300dpi scan above, and appears to be encrusted with perhaps tiny diatoms.
Kylin
lower intertidal mud-flat, with Ulva
and zostara
Marches Pt., Fildalgo Is., Skagit Co.
Wash
9/2/71
Extremely thin, fragile, dark brown strands for branches, many ending in (apparent) loops, possibly the precursor to splitting to form new branches. A dozen shrimp (the yellow objects) are embedded in the large sample.
Macro photo detail of the top branches of the large sample, showing loops.
Macro photo detail of the top portion of the small sample at right, highlighting one of many eighth-inch long shrimp captured with the seaweed.
on rocks 10' in depth
W. shore of Whidbey Is, w of
Oak Harbor, Island Co;
Wash.
11/7/71
Branches appear black, smooth and bare, with some bulbous tan sections mostly at the tips.
300dpi detail of the lower-left sample.
Macro photo detail of the lower-left sample.
epiphytic on intertidal algae
Cherry Pt area, Whatcom Co,
4/85
[text from another sample (250dpi)]:
lower intertidal and subtidal rocks
Compare the mode of branching with Odonthalia, with which this species might be most easily confused.
This plant is a dense, continuous branching of fine, hair-like stems, dark red to black in color.
300dpi detail of the sparse portion at the top of the lower sample.
Macro photo detail of the forcipitate branching of some tips of the upper sample.
Macro photo detail of the forcipitate branching of some tips of a second sample (250dpi).
intermedia
washed-up
Ebey's Landing, Admiralty Inlet
Whidbey Island, Island Co.,
Wash. 6/10/72
... small portion of plant
This delicate-looking, dark brown plant is made up of branches that are human hair-sized. This sample also contained many tiny crab, a shrimp, and what may be larval crab.
300dpi detail of the main branch and a dense area to its right.
Macro photo detail of some sections showing various critters.
Odonthalia floccosa
(Esper) Falkenberg
low intertidal rocks
Ft. Casey St. Pk.
Whidbey Island,
Island Co., Wash
6/10/72
[text from another sample]:
light brown to dark brown in color
lower intertidal to subtidal rocks
Bushy in three dimensions
The plant has definite branching, with needle-like leaves growing in clusters of smaller networks of branches. This gives it a shaggy, yet organized appearance. The sample shown is virtually black. A second sample is tan in color. This sample had at least a dozen shrimp, and some other critters attached.
300dpi detail of the lower-left portion.
Macro photo detail of a portion to the right, showing the leaf structure and some embedded shrimp (and a larval shrimp?).
300dpi detail of the upper sample from a second sample set (125dpi)
Macro photo detail of a portion of the right, mid section of the upper sample from the second set.
on rocks 20' in depth
W. of Observatory Pt.
Clallam Co., Wash.
5/28/78
The plant has definite branching, with needle-like leaves growing like fractals of smaller networks of branches. It is a dark, brownish red, and is vaguely translucent along some portions. This sample has a light encrustation of diatoms somewhat evenly distributed, generally denser towards the main stems.
300dpi detail of the far right, showing two types of branching on the same plant.
Macro photo detail of the even distribution of branches/leaves on the end of the bottom-left branch.
Macro photo detail of a diatom-encrusted area at the center of the plant.
Rhodomela larix (Turner)
C. Agardh
rocks middle intertidal
W. side Shell Is, N. Cove,
Cape Arago, Pregon 7/22/71
[text from another (180dpi) sample]:
... low intertidal rocks
... nonreproductive plant dark brown to black in color. Branching coarser than that of Odonthalia but otherwise similar.
Bushy in 3 dimensions much thicker than Odonthalia
fruiting branches?
The samples are of single stems, each having hair-like leaves growing in small groups at somewhat regular intervals along their lengths, ending in a brush of leaves. A second sample (180dpi) has branches growing from a central stem, and a macro photo of the top of the upper sample shows what may be the fruits mentioned in Dan's notes.
300dpi detail of the ends of the two samples in the thumbnail at left. Note: the image of the lower sample was flipped horizontally to allow them to fit at full scale.
Macro photo detail of a section of the left sample that has foreign material attached.
low intertidal rocks
S.E. of Birch Pt., Whatcom Co.
Wash. 5/30/72
This ornate sample is brownish, dark green. Each shoot has a main branch with secondaries on alternating sides along it. Each of the secondaries has both leaves and pods. The branches are opaque, the leaves are slightly translucent.
300dpi detail around the first branch of the right branch, showing the main branches, leaves, and pods (some ruptured).
Macro photo detail of an area near the top of the right sample, showing pods in various stages of development, leaves, and the main stem.