Seaweeds of the British Isles are one of the richest in the world and that’s why through this piece we’ll take a look at Foraging for Seaweeds. Of the 10,700 species of seaweed that have been identified around the world, more than 6%, 635 species, are found on our shorelines.…
Category: Seaweed Identification
Mayday traditionally marks the beginning of summer and May can often be one of the warmest and driest months of the year, foraging in May can be fruitful. Spring greens are still out in force and the warmer weather means the next wave of edibles is just beginning. So…
Nori / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Sometimes called Laver (not strictly correct, but they are very similar) Botanical Name Pyropia yezoensis, californica, tenera and other species. Note that Laver is in the Porphyria genus, but the seaweeds in each are often reclassified. Scientific…
Irish Moss Seaweed /Autumn / Winter / Spring / Edible Note: You may have heard more about Carrageenan than about Irish Moss, and you may be surprised to find controversial material after googling carrageenan! Irish Moss is the seaweed from which the fibre/carbohydrate carrageenan is extracted. The information below relates…
Serrated Wrack / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Toothed wrack, Saw wrack Botanical Name Fucus serratus Scientific Classification Kingdom – Chromista Order –Fucales Family – Fucaceae Habitat Found mostly on hard substrata low on the shore, especially on more sheltered coasts. They are found…
Channel Wrack / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Channel Wrack Botanical Name Pelvetia canaliculata Scientific Classification Kingdom – Chromista Order –Fucales Family – Fucaceae Habitat Channel wrack is one of the first wracks that you tend to find as you move from land to…
Sea Lettuce / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Sea lettuce, Sea Salad Botanical Name Ulva lactuca Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order –Ulvales Family – Ulvaceae Habitat Found growing on rocks and in sandy rockpools. It prefers sheltered areas. A very commonly found…
Bladderwrack / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Rockweed, Seawrack Botanical Name Fucus vesiculosus Scientific Classification Kingdom – Chromista Order –Fucales Family – Fucaceae Habitat This seaweed likes to be between the high and low watermarks, spending a fair amount of time submerged. Found across…
Sugar Kelp / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Sea-belt, Sugar Wrack Botanical Name Laminaria saccharina, Saccharina latissima Scientific Classification Kingdom – Chromista Order –Laminariales Family – Laminariaceae Habitat This seaweed is fond of low water, sheltered areas with fast-moving flows. It dislikes exposed…
Laver / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Nori (but not the varieties found in Britain) Botanical Name Porphyra spp, including umbilicalis, leucosticta, linearis. All these species are edible and functionally the same, and often professionals in science and foraging struggle to distinguish the precise…