Habitat and Range ⁶

Commonly found growing on rocks in the high to middle intertidal zone of semi-protected to semi-exposed habitats from Alaska to Punta Baja, Baja California. Very common Northern and Central California; uncommon south of Santa Barbara.

Source: Marine Algae of California (MAC); Seaweeds of Alaska

Morphology and Identification ⁶

Thalli is rarely taller than 15 cm, several branched blades appearing light red to reddish purple to yellowish. Thalli are covered in papillae giving a "rough and bumpy" appearance, similar to a rough washcloth.

Incredible variability in morphology of Mastocarpus papillatus, reflected in the large number of synonyms shown by this species.

Source: Marine Algae of California (MAC); Seaweeds of Alaska

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Alison Young, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Alison Young
2. (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang
3. (c) Brian Martin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Brian Martin
4. (c) eagleloft, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by eagleloft
5. (c) luke_wimmer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
6. (c) Sean Agler, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Calflora
• CalPhotos
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos

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