#3716 - Macrocystis pyrifera - Giant Kelp
AKA Rimurimu in Aotearoa.
Originally described as Fucus pyrifer, and later as Laminaria pyrifera, then regarded as one of 17 species in Macrocystis, then recombined into one species in 1874, then split into 4, then recombined again nto 1 again.
The fastest-growing organism in the world, adding 60cm a day under ideal conditions, but not a plant - it's actually a lineage of flagellated protist that evolved multicellularity. It grows in rocky coastal areas in many of the world's oceans, and is an important component of kelp forests. By the end of the growing season, fronds can be 45m long, supported by the gas-filled float at the base of each blade.
Collected for food and the chemical content in some places.
Kelp forests in some parts of NZ and the rest of the world have almost vanished, which devastates the associated species. Factors include rising water temperatures, and explosions in the number of kelp-eating species such as the purple sea urchin.
Ōnawe Peninsula, Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula, Aotearoa New Zealand.