brown seaweeds text index | photo index
Seaweeds > Division Phaeophyta
Strap brown seaweed
Dictyota sp.*
Family Dictyotaceae
updated Aug 10

Where seen? This flat strap-like brown seaweed is sometimes seen on many of our shores, often anchored in bare sand.

Features: A bunch of several to many strap-like blades about 1-2cm wide and 10-15cm long, branching on one plane forming Y-shapes with rounded or squarish tips. The seaweed does not have a prominent midrib or vein. Usually a plain translucent brown. In some, the entire clump comprises a few long strands. In others, there are many short strands forming a dense clump. Some of these seaweeds may have a bluish tinge.

According to AlgaeBase, there are more than 70 current Dictyota species.

Human uses: Strap brown seaweed is eaten by people and used as animal feed, medicine for its antibacterial properties. D. dichotoma is also used to make beer, frozen food, fruit juices, ice cream, jellies, in meat and flavour sauces, milk shakes, pastries and salad dressings. Extracts from it are also used in industry as emulsifiers, gelling agents, stabilisers.

Tuas, Jun 05

Berlayar Creek, Feb 12

Labrador, Apr 05


Strap brown seaweed on Singapore shores

Pulau Sekudu, Aug 06

Changi, Jul 06

Changi, Apr 05

more photos of strap brown seaweed on Singapore shores
northern shores
southern shores part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4


*Seaweed species are difficult to positively identify without microscopic examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

Dictyota species recorded for Singapore
Pham, M. N., H. T. W. Tan, S. Mitrovic & H. H. T. Yeo, 2011. A Checklist of the Algae of Singapore.

  Dictyota adnata
Dictyota bartayresiana
Dictyota ciliolata
Dictyota crispata
Dictyota dichotoma
Dictyota dichotoma var. intricata
Dictyota hauckiana
Dictyota lata

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References

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