Bottlebrush seaweed

At a glance

Bottlebrush seaweed (Analipus japonicus) is a marine alga regulated in 3 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.

The strictest bag limit is 1 (Oregon); the most generous is 10 (California).

Confirmed by 207 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, British Columbia, and Oregon the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• A brown alga whose densely packed lateral branches closely resemble a kitchen bottlebrush.
• Found on rocky intertidal shores across the North Pacific, from Japan to the Pacific Northwest.
• Attaches to rock using a disc-shaped holdfast that resists strong wave surge.
• Can survive brief aerial exposure during low tide by tolerating partial desiccation.
• Reproduces via microscopic spores released directly into the water column.

Where Bottlebrush seaweed are seen

• California155 iNat obs
• British Columbia28 iNat obs
• Oregon19 iNat obs
• Alaska3 iNat obs
• Washington2 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Bottlebrush seaweed

• CaliforniaUnited States · official source
• OregonUnited States · official source

Background

Analipus japonicus or "sea fir" is a brown alga species in the genus Analipus.

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

Other brown algae/kelps on CatchRules

• bladder wrackFucus vesiculosus
• BeanweedScytosiphon lomentaria