Sunday, January 29, 2017

Little palms

 

I'm happy to report that Sea Palm (Postelsia palmaeformis) appears to be having a good start to its season...at least in a few locations on Bodega Head.  This photo was taken on 28 January 2017.

As with some other more northern kelps, this species didn't do very well locally during recent warm-water years, so I hope to see more Sea Palm this year!

P.S.  Here's a link to a previous post with some information about Sea Palms.
 
at

3 comments:

  1. John W. WallJanuary 30, 2017 at 10:05 AM

    I didn't know sea palm was seasonal, or that it likes cold water. Thanks for the info! FWIW, I found what appeared to me to be a mature "palm oasis" back in September along the San Mateo coast.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jackie SonesJanuary 30, 2017 at 10:14 AM

    Hi, John!

    Yes, Sea Palm is an *annual* kelp...peaking during the summer, declining through the fall/early winter, and then generally reappearing in mid-winter.

    And it's a relatively northern species, with the southern range limit currently at Point Buchon (just south of Morro Bay).

    For more info, check out "The Kelps of California" web pages at the University Herbarium (thanks to Kathy Ann Miller!):

    http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/seaweedflora.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. John W. WallJanuary 31, 2017 at 3:38 PM

    Great resource. Bookmarked! Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete