Suction-cup kelp • Laminaria yezoensis{Laminaria = thin leaf}

Left: photos by Jenn Burt. Right: specimen collection number SCL 15319 in the UBC Herbarium Algae Database. Image courtesy of Sandra Lindstrom. Search the collection number in the database for further details on this specimen, or search this species for additional occurrences. Note the split blades and disc- or suction-cup-shaped holdfast, particularly evident at the top left.

IdentificationThis tough, perennial brown seaweed has a a thick, dark to medium brown blade that is usually split length-wise to some degree. Its stipe, which is fairly rigid and usually unbranched, can reach nearly 1 m long though is usually shorter. The blade can likewise be quite long; its width, which is usually at least 20 cm, is often equal to its length. This seaweed has a large and distinctive suction-cup- or disc-shaped holdfast, with irregular edges.

Habitat & RangeSuction-cup kelp grows on rock in the subtidal and extremely low intertidal. It is found in exposed to semi-protected locations from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands south to central BC.

Similar SpeciesLaminaria ephemera also has a disc-shaped holdfast and can reach similar lengths, but it is short-lived and delicate whereas suction-cup kelp is perennial and quite tough. L. ephemera also has a narrow blade, and is not common.​