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Kappaphycus alvarezii
Family Solieriaceae
HAWAII
Kappaphycus alvarezii 
Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, 4 feet
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Haleiwa Trench, Oahu, 3 feet |
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KAPPAPHYCUS
Large warty thicket-forming species accidentally released in Kaneohe Bay.
Invasive since it grows rapidly, smothering coral and native
algae. In the tropics this genus is farmed to produce kappa-carrageenan.
Kappaphycus striatus has thinner branches and fewer spines
arranged in rows. Native to Malaysia & the Philippines but
widely cultivated. |
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