Species

Macrocystis pyrifera

Common Name(s)

Bladder kelp, giant kelp

Authority

Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C.Agardh

Family

Laminariaceae

Brief Description

A species that grows to over 20 metres long and forms large forests in deep sheltered waters and is found in southern New Zealand. It is easily recognised by the gas-filled floats at the base of each frond which help to hold the kelp upright and so maximise the amount of sunlight the blades receive.

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

MACPYR

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Endemic Taxon

No

This page last updated on 29 Aug 2012