Macrocystis pyrifera
Common name
Bladder kelp, giant kelp
Family
Laminariaceae
Flora category
Non-vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
MACPYR
Brief description
A species that grows to over 20 metres long and forms large forests in deep sheltered waters and is found in southern New Zealand. It is easily recognised by the gas-filled floats at the base of each frond which help to hold the kelp upright and so maximise the amount of sunlight the blades receive.