Description: Thallus erect growing from stoloniferous holdfast with a short stipe expanding into a fan-shaped flattened blade with parallel sides less than 4 mm wide.The blade devides dichotomously 4 or 5 times to a height of 8 cms. The apices sometimes are elongated into proliferations up to 2 cms long.

Habitat: Uncommon. Epilithic generally in the sublittoral to 30 m depth.

Distribution: Most common on the southern coasts of the British Isles. Scattered sites around Ireland, west Ireland, Wales, west Scotland and England on the south coast, Kent and Norfolk, occasional elsewhere. Europe: Spain and France. Further afield: Canary Islands and South Africa.

Similar Species: Rhodymenia pseudopalmata has wider blades of 5 - 10 mm.

Distribution Map from NBN: Rhodymenia holmesii at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Rhodymenia holmesii at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Rhodymenia holmesii at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Rhodymenia holmesii Ardissone, 1893. AphiaID: 145853.

Classification: Biota; Plantae; Biliphyta; Rhodophyta; Eurhodophytina; Florideophyceae; Rhodymeniophycidae; Rhodymeniales; Rhodymeniaceae; Rhodymenia