RHODOPHYTA : Ceramiales : WrangeliaceaeRED ALGAE

Plumaria plumosa (Hudson) Kuntze, 1891


Description: Thallus erect and densely branched to 13 cms long. Branching irregular alternate, complanate, the youngest branchletes are paired and monosiphonous.

Habitat: Common, normally epilithic on rocky shores from mid-littoral to extreme low water.

Distribution: On all rocky shores of the British Isles. Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, the Baltic, Norway, Faroes and Iceland. Atlantic coast of North America: Canada, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Similar Species: Ptilota plumosa is similar but rigid enough to keep shape out of water and is corticate throughout.

Key Identification Features:

  • Complanate with final branches monosiphonous.

Distribution Map from NBN: Plumaria plumosa at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Plumaria plumosa at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Plumaria plumosa at World Register of Marine Species.

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 Morton, O., Keatley, L., Morrow, C.C. & Picton, B.E. (2026). Plumaria plumosa. (Hudson) Kuntze, 1891. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
https://habitas.org/mbdp/species.php?item=ZM8830. Accessed on 2026-11-01