An Experimental Assessment of Some of the Characters Used for Specific Delimitation in the Genus Laminaria

Abstract

The growth in culture of Laminaria saccharina (L.) Lamour. and a species from Nova Scotia, tentatively identified as L. agardhii Kjellm., has been compared. Several characters, normally used for specific distinction within the genus Laminaria, have been shown to be modified by environmental conditions. These all concern the lamina and include the following: general morphology and texture, the shape of the base, the anatomical construction and the presence or absence of mucilage canals.The question of the identity of L. agardhii from eastern and western Atlantic coasts is discussed.