Image from GBIF · CC BY-NC
Species
carrageen
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumRhodophyta
- ClassFlorideophyceae
- OrderGigartinales
- FamilyGigartinaceae
Irish moss is a red seaweed found in large colonies on stones and rocks in shallow water. Irish moss is also called carragheen, because it contains so much carrageenan. Carrageenan is used as a thickener and stabilizer in many products, including ice cream and lunch meats. The Scots use this seaweed for making a kind of tapioca pudding. The seaweed is found in the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining waters, such as the North Sea and parts of the Baltic Sea.
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 7,808
- With media
- 5,583
- Family
- Gigartinaceae
- Collections
- MICH, UIT, NCU, USCH, NHA, UNA
- Recorded in
- Canada, Norway, Netherlands, United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, France
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Chondrus crispus—commonly called Irish moss or carrageenan moss (Irish carraigín, "little rock")—is a species of red algae which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America. In its fresh condition it is soft and cartilaginous, varying in color from a greenish-yellow, through red, to a dark purple or purplish-brown. The principal constituent is a mucilaginous body, made of the polysaccharide carrageenan, which constitutes 55% of its dry weight. The organism also consists of nearly 10% dry weight protein and about 15% dry weight mineral matter, and is rich in iodine and sulfur. When softened in water it has a sea-like odour. Because of the abundant cell wall polysaccharides, it will form a jelly when boiled, containing from 20 to 100 times its weight of water.
Description
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Chondrus crispus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.