Furcellaria J.V.Lamouroux, 1813, nom. cons.

Holotype species: Furcellaria lumbricalis (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux

Original publication and holotype designation: Lamouroux, J.V.F. (1813). Essai sur les genres de la famille des Thalassiophytes non articulées. Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle 20: 21-47, 115-139, 267-293, plates 7-13.

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Description: Plants reach 30 cm in height, are erect from a branched holdfast, and are terete, repeatedly dichotomous, and cartilaginous. The medulla is densly crowded with axial and rhizoidal filaments. Gametophytes are dioecious, the spermatangia borne in superficial subapical sori. Carpogonial branches are 3-5-celled, and usually borne several per supporting cell. Tetrasporangia are scattered in the cortex of isomorphic tetrasporophytes (Dixon and Irvine, 1977). Austin (1960a, 1960b) has made life-history and anatomical studies of the genus, which also produces a commercially valuable, carrageenan-related wall extract called Furcellaran (Schachat & Glicksman, 1959).

Information contributed by: G.T. Kraft & M.D. Guiry. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2017-01-23 by M.D. Guiry.

Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Gender: This genus name is currently treated as feminine.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Schneider, C.W. & Wynne, M.J. (2007). A synoptic review of the classification of red algal genera a half a century after Kylin's "Die Gattungen der Rhodophyceen". Botanica Marina 50: 197-249.

Comments: Distribution: North Atlantic from Nova Scotia north and east through Greenland, Iceland and northern Russia to Britain and Ireland, France, the Baltic Sea, Norway to N Spain,. Plants occur in the lower littoral to 12 m depths (Dixon and Irvine, 1977).

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Contributors
Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in CD format. These AlgaeBase descriptions are now being continually updated, and each current contributor is identified above. The PSA and AlgaeBase warmly acknowledge the generosity of all past and present contributors and particularly the work of Dr Parker.

Descriptions of chrysophyte genera were subsequently published in J. Kristiansen & H.R. Preisig (eds.). 2001. Encyclopedia of Chrysophyte Genera. Bibliotheca Phycologica 110: 1-260.

Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=37304

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 23 January 2017. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 18 April 2024