- Reference
- J.Phycol. 200 (2002)
- Conservation Code
- Not threatened
- Naturalised Status
- Native to Western Australia
- Name Status
- Current
Scientific Description
Habit and structure. Thallus dark red, 10–25 cm high, with a main axis bearing from the prominent midrib on both sides linear lateral branches 1–5 cm long, with occasional shorter proliferations; blades 3–6 mm broad and (140–)200–300 µm thick, corticated, margins entire, slightly undulating when dried, basally constricted to a short terete stipe, apically rounded. Holdfast discoid, 3–5 mm across. Structure. Apical cell segmenting to give an axial row with 2 lateral and 2 transverse pericentral cells, the lateral cells forming 2 second-order rows with the upper rows producing third-order rows from some but not all cells, all rows reaching the thallus margin. Surface view of blades show two rows of larger rectangular cells alongside the axial row of the midrib and small, irregular cortical cells over both the wings and the midrib; sectional views of the margins show a row of large central cells with a cortex 1–2 cells thick, with the thicker midrib consisting of irregular large and small cells. Rhodoplasts discoid.
Reproduction.Only cystocarps known, on short proliferations arising from the midrib.
Distribution.Known from Hamelin Bay, W. Aust.
[After Womersley, Mar. Benthic Fl. Southern Australia IIID: 65–67 (2003)]