Gracilaria arcuata Zanardini
Arcuate gracilaria
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Family:  Gracilariaceae ()
Max. size: 
Environment:  sessile; marine; depth range 0 - 7 m
Distribution:  Indo-Pacific, Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.
Diagnosis:  Thalli erect, cartilaginous, greenish purple, with a discoid holdfast. Primary and secondary branches prominent, mostly arcuate, terete throughout, slightly constricted at the base. Branching on the main axes generally secund. Terminal branches giving rise to 2 or 3 short, stubby, spinose branchlets at their distal portions. Thalli up to 10 cm in height (Ref. 80758).
Biology:  Used for human consumption: source of agar; used in wastewater purification; contains growth regulator substances similar to auxin, gibberellin, and cytokinin; used as manure for coconuts and coffee bushes in Hainan, India, and Sri Lanka (Ref. 80758). Grows in shallow subtidal areas attached to coral rocks and fragments, and shells (Ref. 80758).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 

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