Phyllospora comosa

Common Name:

N/A

Family:

Seirococcaceae

Distribution (from Flora of Victoria):

From Robe (SA) aound Victoria and Tasmania to Port Macquarie (NSW). Drift specimens known from Encounter Bay and Pennington Bay (Kangaroo Island)
Map - Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Distribution and ecological preference at Wilsons Promontory (if known):

Rough-water coasts in deeper pools and the upper sublittoral ¹

Flower Description:

N/A

Habit:

Brown algae with dark brown thallus 0.5-2 m long, much branched with a short, single stipe bearing long, flat, primary branches with dense, marginal laterals closely arranged along their length, with scattered vesicles. Mostly in one plane ¹

Distinguishing characteristics (within family/genus):

This species is distinguished from Seirococcus and Scytothalia by its habit (it has long primary branches bearing dense marginal rows of simple laterals), and the presence of vesicles ¹

Images:

Links to more images:

Atlas of Living Australia MELU

Links to description of this species:

AlgaeBase

Conservation status:

N/A

References:

¹ Womersley, H. B. S. (1987). “The marine benthic flora of Southern Australia. Rhodophyta. Part II”. ABRS, Canberra.