Beanweed

At a glance

Beanweed (Scytosiphon lomentaria) is a marine alga with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.

Confirmed by 284 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with British Columbia, California, and Washington the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Its hollow, tubular fronds typically grow 10–40 cm long, resembling miniature bean pods.
• It grows attached to rocks in mid- to high-intertidal zones on cold-water shores worldwide.
• Populations peak in winter and spring, then largely disappear during warmer summer months.
• It belongs to the brown algae division despite sometimes appearing yellow-green in bright sunlight.
• It is edible and has been traditionally harvested for food in East Asian coastal communities.

Where Beanweed are seen

• British Columbia103 iNat obs
• California60 iNat obs
• Washington56 iNat obs
• Massachusetts19 iNat obs
• Alaska17 iNat obs
• Nova Scotia9 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Beanweed

• CaliforniaUnited States · official source

Background

Scytosiphon lomentaria is a littoral brown seaweed with an irregularly lobed many filamentous form. It is a member of the Phaeophyta in the order Dictyosiphonales and grows attached to shells and stones in rock-pools and in near-shore waters. The attachment to the substrate is by a small disc shaped holdfast.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Beanweed article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.