Description: Thalli to 3 m long and to 15 cms wide. Holdfast consists of branching rhizoids and the stipe about 15 cms long. The lamina is entire and unbranched, flattened, membraneous with a conspicuous midrib continuing from the stipe to the tip of the frond.

Habitat: Very common. Lower littoral and sublittoral especially of exposed shores.

Distribution: Common in the British Isles especially on exposed northern and western shores. Europe: France, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Faroes, Jan Mayen and Bjornoya and Iceland. Greenland. Atlantic coast of North America: Canada, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.Further field: Spitzbergen, Pacific America: Alaska.

Similar Species: Laminaria saccharina is quite distinct being without a midrib. Other Laminaria species, except when young, are digitate.

Key Identification Features:

• Very long unbranched with a midrib.

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

iNaturalist: Alaria esculenta at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Alaria esculenta at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Alaria esculenta (Linnaeus) Greville, 1830. AphiaID: 145716.

Classification: Biota; Chromista; Harosa; Heterokonta; Ochrophyta; Phaeophyceae; Fucophycidae; Laminariales; Alariaceae; Alaria