''Ecklonia maxima'', or sea bamboo, is a species of
kelp
Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms.
Kelp grows in "underwa ...
native to the southern oceans. It is typically found along the southern Atlantic coast of Africa, from the very south of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
to northern
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
. In these areas the species dominates the shallow, temperate water, reaching a depth of up to in the offshore
kelp forest
Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Ea ...
s.
The kelp anchors itself by attaching itself to a rock or other kelp via its
holdfast. From this root-like structure a single long
stipe rises to the surface waters, where a large
pneumatocyst keeps a tangle of blades at the surface to aid photosynthesis.
The species is of economic importance as it is harvested for both an agricultural supplement and as food for farmed
abalone.
References
maxima
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