Alaria (alga) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alaria (alga)
Alaria esculenta
Scientific classification
Clade:	SAR
Phylum:	Ochrophyta
Class:	Phaeophyceae
Order:	Laminariales
Family:	Alariaceae
Genus:	Alaria Greville, 1830

Alaria is a type of brown seaweed that grows in the ocean. There are about 17 different kinds, or species, of Alaria. People in places like Western Europe, China, Korea, Japan (where it's called sarumen), and South America dry and eat it as a food.

Scientists also study where Alaria grows to understand climate change. This is because its growth is affected by how warm the ocean water is. The most common type, Alaria esculenta, is a large brown seaweed often found on the coasts of the British Isles. People are even looking into growing it on farms, which is called aquaculture.

What is Alaria?

Alaria is a type of brown algae and belongs to a group called Laminariales, which are commonly known as kelp. These seaweeds can be quite different in size. Some Alaria plants are as small as 15 centimeters (about 6 inches), while others can grow up to 15 meters (about 49 feet) long!

Alaria plants have a special part called a holdfast that anchors them to rocks, like roots do for land plants. They also have a straight stem-like part called a stipe and a long, flat blade with a strong middle rib. You might often see Alaria blades with tears or cuts from the ocean waves.

Naming and Types of Alaria

Alaria is the second largest group of kelp, with about 17 types recognized today. When it was first described in 1830, many different names were given to it because its appearance can change a lot. Over time, scientists have used genetics to figure out which names belong to the same type of Alaria, reducing the number of official names.

Different Kinds of Alaria

Here are some of the types of Alaria that scientists recognize:

• Alaria angusta
• Alaria crassifolia, also known as sarumen or ezo-wakame
• Alaria crispa
• Alaria dolichorhachis
• Alaria elliptica
• Alaria esculenta
• Alaria fragilis
• Alaria grandifolia
• Alaria marginata
• Alaria oblonga
• Alaria paradisea
• Alaria praelonga
• Alaria pylaiei

Where Does Alaria Grow?

Alaria is mostly found in the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. You'll find the most different types of Alaria in the North Pacific.

Places Alaria is Found

You can find Alaria along the coasts of many countries, including:

• England
• Ireland
• Scotland
• Iceland
• Greenland
• Denmark
• Norway
• Japan
• China
• Korea
• Canada
• The United States

Alaria's Ocean Home

Alaria usually grows in areas just below the low tide line, in water that is about 3 to 10 meters (10 to 33 feet) deep. Ocean temperature is very important for Alaria. It doesn't like water warmer than 16°C (61°F). Because of rising ocean temperatures, Alaria has mostly disappeared from the English Channel over the last 100 years. Studies in the Arctic have shown that temperature greatly affects how Alaria grows and makes its own food through photosynthesis.

How Alaria Grows and Lives

Like all kelp, Alaria has a special way of growing called a life cycle. It has two main stages: a large plant stage that we can see, and a tiny, microscopic stage. What's special about Alaria is that the parts that help it reproduce are found on special blades called sporophylls, which grow from the main stem.

Most Alaria plants live for more than one year. After they reproduce, the main blade might fall off, but the stem and a special growth area remain. This growth area then produces a new blade when the next growing season begins.

How People Use Alaria

Eating Alaria

In places like Ireland, Scotland, Greenland, Iceland, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands, people eat Alaria. They usually remove the tough middle rib and eat the blade. It's not sold much in stores there, but it's much more popular in East Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea, where eating seaweed is common.

Seaweeds are considered very healthy because they are low in fat and full of vitamins and minerals, often more than land vegetables. Alaria esculenta is especially good because it's a great source of protein and iodine.

Other Names for Alaria

Alaria is known by many different names depending on where you are:

• "Badderlocks", "dabberlocks", or "henware" in Scotland
• "Honey-ware" in the Orkney Islands (Northern Scotland)
• "Murlins", "láir", and "láracha" in Ireland
• "Wing kelp" (origin unknown)
• "California nori"
• "Wild nori"
• "California wakame"