Endocladia muricata

Endocladia muricata
Endocladia muricata, on a boulder in the upper intertidal zone, near Cambria, California
Scientific classification
(unranked):	Archaeplastida
Phylum:	Rhodophyta
Class:	Florideophyceae
Order:	Gigartinales
Family:	Endocladiaceae
Genus:	Endocladia
Species:	E. muricata
Binomial name
Endocladia muricata J. Agardh 1841
Synonyms
Gigartina muricata

Endocladia muricata, commonly known as Nailbrush seaweed or Turfweed, is a marine alga that is widely distributed along the shores of the North Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Punto Santo Tomas, Baja California.

E. muricata is common north of Point Conception, and is one of the most common algae in the high intertidal zone of the central California, coast. It commonly forms the top-most conspicuous band of seaweed along that coast. E. muricata often grows with Pelvetiopsis limitata (dwarf rockweed) and Mastocarpus papillatus (Turkish washcloth), on rocks in the high intertidal. ^{[1] [2]}

E. muricata's thallus is 4-8 cm tall, short & bushy; branches cylindrical with sub-dichotomous branching; covered with minute, soft conical spines; blackish-brown to dark red to yellow. Dries to almost black. It is usually not slippery to walk on, dry or wet.

References

1. Endocladia muricata, Pacific Rocky Intertidal Monitoring, UC Santa Cruz
2. Intertidal red algae at SeaNet, Hopkins Marine Lab

External links

• Endocladia muricata at Algaebase
• Photo of E. muricata with other seaweeds it commonly grows with, protected outer coast near Monterey, California

Close-up photo of Endocladia muricata (Nail Brush), showing diagnostic soft spines on branches.