Part A | 6.3
128 Part A Marine Flora and Fauna
Habitat. Occurs in the lower sublittoral zone.
Distribution. Mediterranean.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antifungal and
antimitotic activity [6.62].
Fucus ceranoides Linnaeus
Common Name. Horned wrack
Description. Large brown intertidal seaweed, restricted to growing in estuaries or near freshwater
streams on the shore. F. ceranoides does not have
airbladders, but the side of the fronds is often inflated. Frond thin with smooth margin, fan shaped with
prominent midrib, without air bladders but frond on either side may be inflated, reproductive bodies’ narrow,
pointed fronds at ends of branches [6.814].
Habitat. On estuaries or near freshwater streams on
the shore, it attaches to stones, rocks, or gravel.
Distribution. F. ceranoides is widely distributed in
NE Europe but is only common in brackish water. It is
characteristic of estuaries and is often abundant where
freshwater streams run onto the shore.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antioxidant and
antitumor activity [6.205].
Fucus distichus Linnaeus
Common Name. Rock weeds
Description. A small tufted brown alga. It has narrow
fronds without airbladders and short receptacles. The
species has a life span of 3 years and grows up to 30 cm
long [6.815].
Habitat. Occurs in rock pools and on rock faces in the
upper mid-littoral at wave exposed locations.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Arctic to Britain and Ireland); NE Pacific (Alaska); Japan.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antimicrobial
activity [6.816].
Fucus evanescens C. Agardh
Common Name. Arctic wrack
Description. Brown to olive green in color, broad
blades, obvious midrib, with Y-shaped forks. Can
grow up to 390 cm and can be difficult or to distinguish from F. vesiculosus, sometimes indistinguishable [6.817].
Habitat. Occurs in rock pools and on rock faces in the
upper mid-littoral at wave exposed locations.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Arctic to Britain and Ireland); NE Pacific (Alaska); Japan.
Uses and Compounds. Source of alginic acid, fucoidan, and used for animal feed [6.817, 818]. Extracts have antiviral [6.819, 820], antibacterial [6.821],
antitrypanosomal [6.822], anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic and antiadhesive [6.823], antithrombotic and
hemorrhagic [6.824], anticoagulant [6.823, 825], antitumor [6.826–828], and immunostimulating [6.829–831]
activity.
Fucus serratus Linnaeus
Common Names. Toothed wrack, Black wrack,
Blackweed
Description. F. serratus is a robust, olive-brown
shrubby seaweed. It can grow in high densities low on
the shore, forming dense mats of long ribbons up to
1 meter long and 25 cm across. It attaches to rocks
via a discoid holdfast about 3 cm in diameter. Though
technically a brown alga, it can vary in color from
olive green through reddish brown (though it often
has a greenish tint). It typically grows up to 70 cm
but has been recorded at over 2 m in length in very
sheltered environments. The flat, strap-like fronds have
a forward-pointing serrated edge, a distinct midrib, and
grow from a short stipe. The fronds are bifurcating
(splitting in two repeatedly) [6.832].
Habitat. On firm substrata in the lower mid-littoral;
often zone forming.
Distribution. F. serratus is a seaweed of the North Atlantic Ocean. It extends from the Canary Islands and
northern Portugal along the Atlantic coast of France,
into the British Isles and North Sea coasts, and into
the W Baltic. It is found in Scandinavia up to Novaya
Zemlya, around Iceland, and over to the Gulf of St.
Lawrence in the NW Atlantic, ranging from Chaleur
Bay and the tip of Cape Breton to Bar Harbor, Maine.
Uses and Compounds. F. serratus survives by filtering the ocean for nutrients and as a result, amasses
128 Part A Marine Flora and Fauna
Habitat. Occurs in the lower sublittoral zone.
Distribution. Mediterranean.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antifungal and
antimitotic activity [6.62].
Fucus ceranoides Linnaeus
Common Name. Horned wrack
Description. Large brown intertidal seaweed, restricted to growing in estuaries or near freshwater
streams on the shore. F. ceranoides does not have
airbladders, but the side of the fronds is often inflated. Frond thin with smooth margin, fan shaped with
prominent midrib, without air bladders but frond on either side may be inflated, reproductive bodies’ narrow,
pointed fronds at ends of branches [6.814].
Habitat. On estuaries or near freshwater streams on
the shore, it attaches to stones, rocks, or gravel.
Distribution. F. ceranoides is widely distributed in
NE Europe but is only common in brackish water. It is
characteristic of estuaries and is often abundant where
freshwater streams run onto the shore.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antioxidant and
antitumor activity [6.205].
Fucus distichus Linnaeus
Common Name. Rock weeds
Description. A small tufted brown alga. It has narrow
fronds without airbladders and short receptacles. The
species has a life span of 3 years and grows up to 30 cm
long [6.815].
Habitat. Occurs in rock pools and on rock faces in the
upper mid-littoral at wave exposed locations.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Arctic to Britain and Ireland); NE Pacific (Alaska); Japan.
Uses and Compounds. Extracts have antimicrobial
activity [6.816].
Fucus evanescens C. Agardh
Common Name. Arctic wrack
Description. Brown to olive green in color, broad
blades, obvious midrib, with Y-shaped forks. Can
grow up to 390 cm and can be difficult or to distinguish from F. vesiculosus, sometimes indistinguishable [6.817].
Habitat. Occurs in rock pools and on rock faces in the
upper mid-littoral at wave exposed locations.
Distribution. NE Atlantic (Arctic to Britain and Ireland); NE Pacific (Alaska); Japan.
Uses and Compounds. Source of alginic acid, fucoidan, and used for animal feed [6.817, 818]. Extracts have antiviral [6.819, 820], antibacterial [6.821],
antitrypanosomal [6.822], anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic and antiadhesive [6.823], antithrombotic and
hemorrhagic [6.824], anticoagulant [6.823, 825], antitumor [6.826–828], and immunostimulating [6.829–831]
activity.
Fucus serratus Linnaeus
Common Names. Toothed wrack, Black wrack,
Blackweed
Description. F. serratus is a robust, olive-brown
shrubby seaweed. It can grow in high densities low on
the shore, forming dense mats of long ribbons up to
1 meter long and 25 cm across. It attaches to rocks
via a discoid holdfast about 3 cm in diameter. Though
technically a brown alga, it can vary in color from
olive green through reddish brown (though it often
has a greenish tint). It typically grows up to 70 cm
but has been recorded at over 2 m in length in very
sheltered environments. The flat, strap-like fronds have
a forward-pointing serrated edge, a distinct midrib, and
grow from a short stipe. The fronds are bifurcating
(splitting in two repeatedly) [6.832].
Habitat. On firm substrata in the lower mid-littoral;
often zone forming.
Distribution. F. serratus is a seaweed of the North Atlantic Ocean. It extends from the Canary Islands and
northern Portugal along the Atlantic coast of France,
into the British Isles and North Sea coasts, and into
the W Baltic. It is found in Scandinavia up to Novaya
Zemlya, around Iceland, and over to the Gulf of St.
Lawrence in the NW Atlantic, ranging from Chaleur
Bay and the tip of Cape Breton to Bar Harbor, Maine.
Uses and Compounds. F. serratus survives by filtering the ocean for nutrients and as a result, amasses