Photo 2901, (c) Marcia Salviato, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Marcia Salviato

Attribution © Marcia Salviato
some rights reserved
Uploaded by marsalvuk marsalvuk
Source Flickr
Original http://www.flickr.com/photos/75051316@N00/3316293238
Associated observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Sea Grapes (Caulerpa racemosa)

Observer

marsalvuk

Date

January 7, 2009 10:02 AM GMT

Description

Tabatinga Beach - Conde - PB - BRAZIL
Praia de Tabatinga - Conde-PB - BRASIL

Caulerpa is a genus of seaweeds in the family Caulerpaceae (among the green algae). They are unusual because they consist of only one cell with many nuclei, making them among the biggest single cells in the world. A species in the Mediterranean can have a stolon more than 3 metres (9 ft) long, with up to 200 fronds.

Some species (especially Caulerpa lentillifera and Caulerpa racemosa) are eaten under the names sea grape or green caviar or umi-budo in Okinawa. They have a peppery taste. Seagrapes are eaten in Indonesian cuisine, sometimes fresh, and othertimes coated in sugar. They are raised in Cebu, for domestic consumption in the Philippines as well as export to Japan. Unconfirmed reports claim that the alkaloid Caulerpin found in seagrapes can sometimes cause poisoning.

Wikipedia

Associated taxa
Sizes