Giant Kelp Forest
Scientific Name: Macrocystis Pyrifera
North Pacific Distribution: Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska, to Baja California, Mexico.
Description: Thallus of this golden brown canopy kelp may reach a length of 30 m (99 ft). A conical, richly branched holdfast (haptera) hosts several stipes, which branch dichotomously into vine-like fronds with blades to ~ 50 cm (20 in) long at regular intervals. The blades, which develop via splitting of a small terminal blade, are distinctly wrinkled with marginal teeth and a small gas-filled float (pneumatocyst) at their base.
Habitat: This perennial kelp forms beds in the extreme low intertidal to subtidal of semi-exposed habitats.
Similar taxa: This species is considered by some to be conspecific with M. integrifolia.
Images of Giant Kelp
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