seaweed

Introduction

seaweed, name commonly used for the multicellular marine algae. Simpler forms, consisting of one cell (e.g., the diatom) or of a few cells, are not generally called seaweeds; these tiny plants help to make up plankton. The more highly developed types of seaweed usually have a basal disk, called a holdfast, and a frond of varying length and shape, which often resembles a plant in having stemlike and leaflike parts.

Sections in this article:

Introduction
Common Species and Their Uses
Reproduction in Seaweeds
Types of Seaweed

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Moneran and Protistan