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green seaweeds text index | photo
index
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| Seaweeds > Division Chlorophyta > Family Caulerpaceae > genus Caulerpa |
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Oval
sea grapes seaweed Caulerpa racemosa* Family Caulerpaceae updated Aug 10 Where seen? This juicy looking seaweed is made up of little balls and is commonly seen on our Southern shores. On coral rubble. Features: The seaweed resembles bunches of little grapes. Each bunch about 2-8cm long, with bead-like shapes (the 'grapes') arranged on a vertical 'stem'. The 'grape' may be spherical, disk-shaped, conical, bell-shaped, club-shaped. The shapes may be densely or sparsely packed. These bunches of 'grapes' emerge from a long horizontal 'stem' that creeps over hard surfaces or just under the sand. It grows on coral rubble or on rocks, sometimes extending onto the sand. Colours range from green to yellowish-green and bluish-green. Some other Caulerpa species may take forms that resemble Oval sea grapes. These include Caulerpa peltata, Caulerpa macrophysa. Sometimes confused with Round sea grape seaweeds (Caulerpa lentillifera). Here's more on how to tell apart the sea grapes seaweeds. Human uses: This seaweed is eaten in some places. In the Philippines, it is eaten fresh as a salad, or salted so it can be eaten later. Small quantities are also exported to Japan. It is also eaten in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also reported to have antibacterial and antifungal properties, and to be used to treat high blood pressure and rheumatism. The seaweed is also fed to livestock and fish. |
 Pulau Jong, Jul 06  |
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Oval sea grapes seaweed on Singapore shores
 Cyrene Reef, Jul 11 |
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 Kusu Island, May 05  |
 Sentosa, Jul 04  |
 Labrador, Jun 05  |
more photos of oval sea grapes seaweed on Singapore shores
northern shores
southern shores part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4
*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination of internal parts. On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.
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Links
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University of Western Australia Press. 300pp.|
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