|
1
|
Thallus appears filamentous
|
2
|
|
1
|
Thallus other than a simple filament
|
23
|
|
<
|
2
|
Thallus wholly or partly endophytic
|
3
|
|
2
|
Thallus free-living or epiphytic
|
6
|
|
<
|
3
|
Branching at right angles; multiseriate at maturity; host the epiphytic red alga Smithora
|
Internoretia fryeana
|
|
3
|
Branching at oblique angles; uniseriate throughout
|
4
|
|
<
|
4
|
Lifting the surface of Hedophyllum, often erupting through the epidermis
|
Gononema aecidioides
|
|
4
|
Filaments among the bases of the unangia in other laminarians
|
5
|
|
<
|
5
|
Host is Laminaria setchellii
|
Streblonema evagatum
|
|
5
|
Host is Alaria
|
Streblonema pacificum
|
|
<
|
6
|
Thallus multiseriate and parenchymatous in part, though appearing filamentous
|
7
|
|
6
|
Thallus truly filamentous in structure
|
8
|
|
<
|
7
|
Multseriate thallus behind a large and distinctive apical cell
|
Sphacelaria (see genus key)
|
|
7
|
Multiseriate thallus behind an intercalary meristem that produces a uniseriate terminal filament
|
Stictyosiphon tortilis
|
|
<
|
8
|
Hooked branchlets unite upright branches in yarn-like strands, on fucoids
|
Spongonema tomentosum
|
|
8
|
Branches generally free or absent
|
9
|
|
<
|
9
|
Reproductive organs intercalary
|
10
|
|
9
|
Reproductive organs not intercalary
|
13
|
|
<
|
10
|
Minute epiphyte on Postelsia stipes; plurangia in axes and in paired, opposite branches
|
Pilayella gardneri
|
|
10
|
On various substrates; organs in catenate series
|
11
|
|
<
|
11
|
Unbranched
|
12
|
|
11
|
Branched
|
Pilayella littoralis
|
|
<
|
12
|
Reproductive organs large and globose, not in adjacent series
|
Leptonematella fasciculata
|
|
12
|
Unangia in series below series of plurangia, to the tip of the filament
|
Pilayella tenella
|
|
<
|
13
|
Minute, epiphyte on Fucus, unangia borne laterally near filament base
|
Elachista fucicola
|
|
13
|
On various substrates, plurangia common
|
14
|
|
<
|
14
|
Discoid base
|
15
|
|
14
|
Filaments attached at the base by rhizoids or a short prostrate filament
|
19
|
|
<
|
15
|
Basal disc distromatic in part
|
16
|
|
15
|
Basal disc monostromatic
|
17
|
|
<
|
16
|
Small (<2mm) discs on the blades of laminarians
|
Hecatonema primarium
|
|
16
|
Circular or irregular cushions (to 10 mm), often confluent
|
Hecatonema streblonematoides
|
|
<
|
17
|
Short unbranched or sparingly branched uprights.
|
Myrionema (see genus key)
|
|
17
|
Dense mat of unbranched upright filaments
|
18
|
|
<
|
18
|
Erect filaments 10 - 12µm in diameter, on Nereocystis
|
Compsonema serpens
|
|
18
|
Erect filaments 8 - 9µm in diameter, on large algae
|
Compsonema fructuosum
|
|
<
|
19
|
Meristem at the base of branches, above which no lateral branching occurs
|
22
|
|
19
|
Meristem inconspicuous and diffuse
|
20
|
|
<
|
20
|
Plurangia on short lateral branches, growth intercalary
|
Ectocarpus (see genus key)
|
|
20
|
Plurangia sessile, generally asymmetrical, meristems inconspicuous
|
21
|
|
<
|
21
|
Plurangia arranged in unilateral series on axes
|
Hincksia sandriana
|
|
21
|
Plurangia irregularly arranged, mostly singly
|
Hincksia granulosa
|
|
<
|
22
|
Plurangia irregularly conical, tapering sharply to tip
|
Feldmannia irregularis
|
|
22
|
Plurangia cylindrical, thin, and blunt tipped
|
Feldmannia simplex
|
|
<
|
23
|
Thallus robust and evidently parenchymatous
|
24
|
|
23
|
Thallus appears cylindrical, globose, saccate, or crustose
|
57
|
|
<
|
24
|
Thallus with distinct blades and hapteran holdfast separated by a stipe
|
25
|
|
24
|
Thallus parenchymatous or pseudparenchymatous, stipe insubstantial or absent
|
44
|
|
<
|
25
|
Thallus with differentiated sporophylls and vegetative blades
|
26
|
|
25
|
Thallus in which all blades are sporophyllous or which bear conceptacles
|
31
|
|
<
|
26
|
Sporophylls borne laterally on stipe, below a single vegetative blade
|
27
|
|
26
|
Sporophylls borne otherwise
|
28
|
|
<
|
27
|
Teminal blade with conspicuous midrib, lamina thin, stipe flexible
|
Alaria (see genus key)
|
|
27
|
Terminal blades smooth, lamina tough and leathery, stipe stiff and woody
|
Pterygophora californica
|
|
<
|
28
|
Blades formed in terminal dichotomies, without pneumatocysts
|
Lessoniopsis littoralis
|
|
28
|
Blades with basal pneumatocysts formed laterally
|
29
|
|
<
|
29
|
Sporophylls and vegetative blades profuse along a flattened rachis
|
Egregia menziesii
|
|
29
|
Blades regularly spaced on long, cylindrical branches
|
30
|
|
<
|
30
|
Blades and pneumatocysts small and densely packed
|
Sargassum muticum
|
|
30
|
Blades and pneumatocysts large and well spaced
|
Macrocystis integrifolia
|
|
<
|
31
|
Stipe prostrate with haptera growing from sides
|
32
|
|
31
|
Stipe upright
|
33
|
|
<
|
32
|
Blades branching by splitting from the base to the tip; no midrib
|
Dictyoneurum californicum
|
|
32
|
Blades unbranched; distinct midrib
|
Dictyoneuropsis reticulata
|
|
<
|
33
|
Stipe branched
|
34
|
|
33
|
Stipe unbranched, terete or flat but not blade-like
|
36
|
|
<
|
34
|
Stipe flattened near base; seasonally terete near tip, bearing pneumatocysts and conceptacles
|
35
|
|
34
|
Stipe appears dichotomously and repeatedly branched near tip
|
Eisenia arborea
|
|
<
|
35
|
Pneumatocysts in catenate series
|
Cystoseira osmundacea
|
|
35
|
Pneumatocysts in pairs
|
Cystoseira geminata
|
|
<
|
36
|
Blades with one or more midribs
|
37
|
|
36
|
Blades without a percurrent rib
|
41
|
|
<
|
37
|
Blades with multiple percurrent midribs, bullations common
|
38
|
|
37
|
Blade with a single midrib
|
39
|
|
<
|
38
|
Blade with five longitudinal ribs
|
Costaria costata
|
|
38
|
Blade with three longitudinal ribs
|
Cymathere triplicata
|
|
<
|
39
|
Blade about as wide as long, bullate, frequently perforated
|
40
|
|
39
|
Blade longer than wide, bullations along midrib
|
Pleurophycus gardneri
|
|
<
|
40
|
Stipe cylindrical, not fimbriate; blade with two basal scrolls
|
Agarum fimbriatum
|
|
40
|
Stipe flattened, with fimbriate margins; blade base rounded or cordate
|
Agarum clathratum
|
|
<
|
41
|
Blades smooth, without notable bullations, ridges, or perforations
|
Laminaria (see genus key)
|
|
41
|
Blades ornamented with bullations, ridges, or perforations
|
42
|
|
<
|
42
|
Stipe solid topped with a single blade
|
Laminaria (see genus key)
|
|
42
|
Stipe hollow, several ridged blades
|
43
|
|
<
|
43
|
Stipe terminates in a bulbous pneumatocyst and numerous lamina
|
Nereocystis luetkeana
|
|
43
|
Stipe narrows towards the tip and lamina
|
Postelsia palmaeformis
|
|
<
|
44
|
Thallus a thin blade
|
53
|
|
44
|
Thallus coarse and strong
|
45
|
|
<
|
45
|
Thallus a broad blade (frequently with falcate splits), haptera arise from blade edge
|
Hedophyllum sessile
|
|
45
|
Thallus other
|
46
|
|
<
|
46
|
Thallus roughly terete
|
47
|
|
46
|
Thallus strap-like, dichotomously branched; discoid holdfast
|
49
|
|
<
|
47
|
Thallus unbranched or pinnately branched; strong discoid holdfast; acidulous
|
Desmarestia (see genus key)
|
|
47
|
With numerous irregular branches
|
48
|
|
<
|
48
|
Arising from crustose base; branches straight or tapering
|
Analipus japonicus
|
|
48
|
Small discoid holdfast; some branches clavate and blunt
|
Saundersella simplex
|
|
<
|
49
|
Thallus with a midrib and well defined terminal receptacles
|
50
|
|
49
|
Thallus narrow, without evident midrib; receptacles poorly defined
|
52
|
|
<
|
50
|
Thallus with pits in parallel rows along the midrib
|
Hesperophycus californicus
|
|
50
|
Thallus without rows of pits
|
51
|
|
<
|
51
|
Midrib and oval conceptacle sharply defined from blade
|
Fucus spiralis
|
|
51
|
Midrib and elongated conceptacle grade into blade
|
Fucus gardneri
|
|
<
|
52
|
Dichotomies often unequal; two eggs in each oogonium
|
Silvetia compressa
|
|
52
|
Dichotomies generally equal; one egg and a polar body in each oogonium
|
Pelvetiopsis limitata
|
|
<
|
53
|
Thallus epiphytic
|
58
|
|
53
|
Growing on rocks, shells, or other inanimate substrate
|
54
|
|
<
|
54
|
Thallus a branched cylinder, extremely lax, lubricous, and covered with fine hairs
|
Haplogloia andersonii
|
|
54
|
Thallus other
|
55
|
|
<
|
55
|
Thallus flattened
|
56
|
|
55
|
Thallus tubular, irregular, globose, saccate, or crustose
|
61
|
|
<
|
56
|
Blade fan-like, splitting into more narrow blades; thallus less than five cm high
|
Syringoderma abyssicola
|
|
56
|
Blade not fan-like, edges irregular or roughly parallel
|
57
|
|
<
|
57
|
Blade shape very irregular; growth from a perennial basal crust
|
Phaeostrophion irregulare
|
|
57
|
Blades mildly flabellate but not fan-like; to twenty cm or more when mature
|
Dictyota binghamiae
|
|
<
|
58
|
Thallus epiphytic on Egregia
|
Halorhipis winstonii
|
|
58
|
Thallus epiphytic on sea grasses, occasionally on algae other than Egregia
|
59
|
|
<
|
59
|
Medullary cells four to five times the diameter of cortical cells
|
Petalonia fascia
|
|
59
|
Medullary cells two to three times the diameter of cortical cells
|
60
|
|
<
|
60
|
Thalli to 2.5 cm; margins plane
|
Punctaria hesperia
|
|
60
|
Thalli to 20 cm; margins ruffled
|
Punctaria occidentalis
|
|
<
|
61
|
Thallus hollow
|
62
|
|
61
|
Thalli crustose, not hollow
|
70
|
|
<
|
62
|
Thalli hollow but not distinctly tubular
|
65
|
|
62
|
Clumps of tubular thalli found in high intertidal pools
|
63
|
|
<
|
63
|
Mature branches with spiral grooves creating a coiled appearance
|
Melanosiphon intestinalis
|
|
63
|
Mature branches not spirally grooved
|
64
|
|
<
|
64
|
Mature branches with regular constrictions; senescent blades up to one cm wide
|
Scytosiphon lomentaria
|
|
64
|
Mature branches without regular constrictions; seldom more than 0.4 cm wide
|
Scytosiphon dotyi
|
|
<
|
65
|
Irregular, sub-spherical, or globose forms
|
68
|
|
65
|
Thalli saccate
|
66
|
|
<
|
66
|
Sori numerous and distinct; epiphytic solely on the red algae Neorhodomela and Odonthalia
|
Soranthera ulvoidea
|
|
66
|
Sori not obvious; on rocks or epiphytic
|
67
|
|
<
|
67
|
Epiphytic on Cystoseira and other brown algae
|
Coilodesme californica
|
|
67
|
On rocks in the low intertidal and subtidal
|
Coilodesme bulligera
|
|
<
|
68
|
Convoluted, globose forms; epiphytic, but often appearing saxicolous; smears when crushed
|
Leathesia difformis
|
|
68
|
Sacs with thin but strong walls that tear but do not crush
|
69
|
|
<
|
69
|
Dimpled, sub-spherical sacs, commonly epiphytic
|
Colpomenia peregrina
|
|
69
|
Finger like sacs, appear saxicolous but often epiphytic on crustose algae
|
Colpomenia bullosa
|
|
<
|
70
|
Crust pulvinate, rugose, and spongy; frequently spreading
|
Petrospongium rugosum
|
|
70
|
Crust smooth and firm
|
71
|
|
<
|
71
|
Crustose thallus composed of tightly adherent upright filaments
|
Ralfsia (see genus key)
|
|
71
|
Crustose thallus composed of packed but not adherent filaments
|
Petroderma maculiforme
|
|