Seaweeds of Long IslandKELP
(Laniinaria)
IRISH MOSS
(Chondrus)
ROCKWEED
(Emus)
Original Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston, Brookhaven
Focus on Nature
by Paul Stoutenburgh
Cutchogue
Seaweeds of Long Island
By Martha -Jane Paul
How about going seaweed hunt-
ing some one of these fine days?
As a prospective collector, you
need to take along very l i t t l e
equipment; only a bucket, or a
few jars or plastic bags to carry
the specimens, and an old knife
to separate the holdfast from its
anchorage.
Faced with a magnificent speci-
men and none of the above, take
off your sneaker or use a bathing
cap for a container.
_tit home, sort out the different
seaweeds in flat dishes (c a k e
pans are good) and gather up
old newspapers and rags for blot-
ting and bristol board (s t i f f
paper) for mounting the plants.
Float your specimen in t h e
sink, preferably in salt water so
that they adhere to the bristol
board. Slip the bristol board, cut
to the required size, under the
seaweed and slowly bring it up
to the surface.
While the plant is still partly
afloat, arrange the branches with
a pointed stick.- I use the tip of
a medicine dropper. Then, as . the
card is gradually brought out of
the water and drained, float any
overlapping or disarranged stem
back into place with water from
the dropper.
Transfer the card with the sea -
weed onto newspaper and blot
with rags. Specimens may be pil-
ed on top of each other with
newspaper in between each card;
but the newspaper should be
changed occasionally until the
card is dry. Most plants will
stick to the bristol board by them-
selves. Those that won't stick will
have to be glued. You may want
to frame and hang a particularly
good mounting.
Now the fun begins....identifica -
tion. It isn't easy because of the
large variety and wide distribu-
tion of the class.
From the northeast coast of
America over 500 species have
been reported. About 100 of these
can be found on Long Island.
Marine algae fall into 4 major
groups, partly distinguished by
color.
(1) blue- greens (mostly micro-
scopic). (2) greens — color of
land plants. (3) browns — range
from olive to almost black. (4)
reds — from pale pink to crimson
to "purple.
The largest of the four groups
Is the brown algae, "rockweeds"
particular. The most frequently
seen rockweeds belong to t h e
genus Fucus. How many times
have you and the children "pop-
ped" seaweed? This is a common
Fucus called F. vesiculosis. The
parts that pop are the bladders,
which help the plant float when
the tide comes in.
Common at Montauk Point is
the brown alga Laminaria agard-
hii. It's long and flat and has a
prominent midrib. The thin edge
is ruffled and ripples continuous-
ly as it floats. Sometimes called
"kelp ", some farmers use it for
fertilizer and mulch.
Even if you've just tolerated
seaweed up to now, you've pro-
bably noticed Chorda filum along
the beach. This alga looks like
old shoelaces. Sargassum fiiipen-
dula is interesting in that it
comes the closest of any of the
browns to having leaves.
A green alga quite noticeable
along the shore is Ulva lactuca,
or "Sea Lettuce ". It grows up to
twenty inches in length and is
thin, light green, and oval in
shape, with no central or surface
veining. This plant may not ad-
here well to paper because it's
tissue thin and the edges shrink
and pull away from the paper.
The green, grasslike f r i n g e s
around piles and woodwork and
on stones between tidelines are
called Enteromorpha.
The red seaweeds are very
colorful, both in the water and
mounted. Sometimes they appear
to be merely replicas of the green
and brown forms. The Prophyra
may look like a red Ulva, but the
growth and reproduction are very
different.
A beautiful plant when mount-
ed, the Grinneilia americana is
long, has a midrib and the frond
is frequently sprinkled with tiny
dots, which are fruiting bodies.
When the Dasya pedicellato is
seen floating it looks like strands
of dark red wool.
Chondrus crispus, or more com-
monly called "Irish Moss ", can
be found locally. The edges of
this fan - shaped frond are deeply
cut and by products of the sea-
weed find thier wayy into stores
as jelling agents and stabilizers
of emulsions, cocoamilk and con-
fectionery.
If you are thoroughly confused
by the tongue - twisting names of
the seaweeds, don't be too con -
cerned. More important, read up
f u r t h e r on sea plants. "Sea-
shores," by Herbert S Zim is a
good beginning.
Mr Edinund Morgan, curator of
the Tackapausha Museum in Sea-
ford has more than 6,000 mounted
specimens; many of which are
on display at the Museum. This
Preserve is maintained to in-
crease interest in our native Long
Island plant an danimal Iife.
Through the cooperation a n d
donations of individuals and or-
ganizations excellent exhibits of
local bird life are represented by
a fine collection of nests, mounted
specimens and eggs. Geology and
archeology are represented by
collection of Indian relics, fossils
and minerals. Our native insects
make . an attractive showing.
The exhibit of native plant
life consists of living wild flowers
and ferns of the season, tree
sections and a growing her-
barium. An animal collection of
skins and intimate views of local
animal life are presented in salt
and fresh water aquaria and ter-
rarium. A display of shells, crus-
taceans and seaweeds depicts the
Island's rich sea life.
The Museum, Iocated on t h e
south side of Sunrise Highway, is
open daily between 10:00 a m
and 5:00 p m, and the Nature
Trail is open during daylight
hours. This is a wonderful place
to take the family.
Seaweed varies according to
amount in any one location ac-
cording to season. Some like cold
water and do best in winter,
while others flourish in summer.
There are still many facts to be
discovered concerning these lit-
tle known plants, so happy
hunting!
Those of you who have fol-
lowed our articles I am sure
have been pleased with t h e
sketches done by Dennis Pules -
ton. Next week Dennis will lay
his brush aside and take pen
in hand to write an article
about the woodcock.
The sketch for this article
will be drawn by his teen -age
daughter, Jennifer Puleston. We
are indeed fortunate to have
this family combination as our
guest columnists next week.
According to Bob Silvers, na-
ture hobbyist, the "Dutchman's
Britches" is blooming wild in
Moriches. Park on the north
side of the Montauk Highway
across from the duck f arm
between Center and East Mor-
iches. Across the creek from
the duck farm, south of t h e
highway, you'll see not only the
quaint flower but a patch or
two of Dogtooth 'violets, tint