fl> o s t e i s i a 201 



the very dark olive -brown Laminar ia 

 bongardiana may be recognized at a dis- 

 tance from the lighter and more olive 

 plants of Hedophylhim with which it 

 is associated. In texture most of the 

 kelps are leathery, and large specimens 

 of Laminaria are much like great 

 leathern aprons, hence the local name 

 of Devil's Apron along the eastern coast 

 of North America. The texture of 

 Postelsia laminae is, however, more like 

 rubber, while the stipes of Lessonia and 

 Pterygophora are like wood when fresh, 

 and altogether horny when dry. The 

 pinnae of Pterygophora, when fresh, have 

 the feel of thin sheets of celluloid, and 

 the stipe of Nereocystis is distinctly 

 cartilaginous. 



Many of the Laminariaceae are 

 edible, and species of the genera Alaria, 

 Undaria and Laminaria are gathered 

 in different parts of their range for food. 



