A small section of Feather Boa Kelp (Egregia menziesii) showing the floats (pneumatocysts) and lateral blades. When I picked up this piece of kelp today, I realized I hadn't thought about the growth and development of Feather Boa Kelp floats.
At first I thought the size of the floats might be sequential on a young plant, i.e., largest near the base of the plant and smallest towards the outer tip. But seeing these floats today made me re-think the development of the floats. I haven't had a chance to research whether someone has tracked this in maturing plants over time, but now I'm curious. I might have to follow a few individuals to see how they progress!
P.S. For more pictures and information about Feather Boa Kelp, you can review the post called "Happy Birthday, Archibald!" from 14 March 2012.
Live your posts- many thanks!
ReplyDeleteBut note rare typo today:
Feather boaT kelp!! 😂
Perhaps small floats out of sequence broke off and are being replaced.
ReplyDeleteHi, Hank,
ReplyDeleteYikes! Thanks! Typing late at night is always a challenge for me. :)
That was kind of a funny typo, but it has now been fixed.
Jackie
Hi, Jim,
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea! This was a relatively young plant, with only a few floats. It had washed up on the beach, so it's hard to know its history. I'm reading around a bit just now to see if someone has studied float development in Egregia.
:) Jackie