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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system, WAHerb, and DBCA’s flora taxonomic names application, WACensus, have been set to read-only mode since 1 October 2025. Recent taxonomic changes are not currently being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or the census. Due to the rapidly approaching holiday season and associated agency and facility soft closures, along with the substantial work involved in data mapping, cleaning, and verification, the migration to the new collection management software is not expected to occur before 1 March 2026, when a further update will be provided. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

The notice period started at 9:45 am on Friday, 12 December 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Monday, 2 March 2026 +08:00.

Ulva compressa L.

Reference
Sp.Pl. [Linnaeus] 2:1163 (1753)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus medium green, 2–20(–40) cm high, erect and basally attached, usually much branched from near the base and often from above, occasionally with few basal branches only; branches broadening above, either remaining terete and 3–10(–20) mm in diameter, or commonly becoming compressed and 0.5–3(–6) cm broad, with the cell layers adjacent but not attached and the margins remaining saccate and in some forms becoming ruffled. Cells un-ordered at least in upper stipe and lower blade, but above with mixture of un-ordered areas and patches where rows of cells have developed by localised divisions; cells polygonal to rounded, 10–14(–16) µm across, square to rectangular when in rows; chloroplast laminate, filling most of the cell in surface view, with a single pyrenoid (two in larger cells prior to division).

Reproduction. Generations isomorphic, gametophytes dioecious, anisogamous.

Distribution. Cosmopolitan.

[After Womersley, Mar. Benthic Fl. Southern Australia I: 158 (1984), as Enteromorpha compressa]

John Huisman & Cheryl Parker, 3 August 2021

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Carnarvon, Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain.
IBRA Subregions
Cape Range, Perth, Recherche, Southern Jarrah Forest.
IMCRA Regions
Central West Coast, Leeuwin-Naturaliste.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Albany, Ashburton, Bunbury, Cockburn, Cottesloe, Esperance, Fremantle, Irwin, Perth, Rockingham.