Class Phaeophyceae Genus Phyllospora Rank Species | Family Seirococcaceae Phylum Heterokontophyta Order Fucales | |
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Similar Galeolaria, Ecklonia radiata, Fucales, Durvillaea, Hormosira banksii | ||
Crayweed (Phyllospora comosa) is a species of brown algae in the Seirococcaceae family. It is found in the oceans around Australia and New Zealand.
In Australia, Phyllospora comosa is abundant in cooler waters along the south-eastern coastline, around Tasmania and in South Australia. It occurs to a depth of around 5 m (east coast) and farther south to about 3 m, but it can be found on some Tasmanian coasts at 18 m depth. It used to occur around Sydney but has disappeared and now it is being re-established under the Crayweed Restoration Project. It grows up to 2.5 m in length and forms dense, shallow forests. The algae have a central main axis, usually up to 3 m long, which bear many branches, along their length, with closely arranged, leaf-like laterals. Some laterals have conceptacles, in which develop cells which produce sperm and eggs. The strongly seasonal growth of the algae depends on the length of daylight; it occurs from apical cells and is restricted to the top 20–30 cm of the branches.
