Description: Thallus tufted, erect to 15 cms high, well branched. Main axis with transverse and longitudinal divisions ending with a large apical cell.

Habitat: Rare, growing as tufts in sandy pools of the lower intertidal.

Distribution: Recorded from scattered sites in the British Isles. Europe: France, Netherlands and the Baltic Sea. Atlantic coast of North America: Canada, Maine and New Hampshire, Massachusetts.

Similar Species: Most species of Sphacelaria, and other small branched brown algae, are very alike and require microscopic examination for identification.

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

iNaturalist: Sphacelaria plumigera at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Sphacelaria plumigera at World Register of Marine Species.