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Acetabularia acetabulum

(Linnaeus) P. C. Silva

Mermaid's wine glass

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(c) alderash, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by alderash

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(c) Dennis Rabeling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Dennis Rabeling

Acetabularia acetabulum, mermaid's wine glass, is a species of green alga in the family Polyphysaceae. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of one to two metres.

Description

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

Edible Uses

The algae/seaweed is consumed as food.

Distribution

A tropical plant.

Where It Grows

Africa, Algeria, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Europe, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, North Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye,

Other Information

A minor food.

Notes

There are about 12 Acetabularia species.

Synonyms

Madrepora acetabulum L.

References (1)

  • http://www.seavegetables.com