Porphyra
Encyclopedia
Porphyra is a foliose red algal genus of laver
, comprising approximately 70 species. It grows in the intertidal zone
, typically between the upper intertidal zone and the splash zone in cold waters of temperate oceans. In East Asia, it is used to produce the sea vegetable
products nori
(in Japan) and gim (in Korea), the most commonly eaten seaweed. There are considered to be 60 to 70 species of Porphyra worldwide and seven in the British Isles.
produce spores (carpospores) which settle, then bore into shells, germinate and form a filamentous stage. This stage was originally thought to be a different species of alga, and was referred to as Conchocelis rosea. The fact that Conchocelis was the diploid stage of Porphyra was discovered by the British phycologist
Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker
in 1949 for the Europe
an species Porphyra umbilicalis. It was later shown for species from other regions as well.
, nori
(Japanese
), amanori (Japanese), zakai, gim (Korean
), zicai (Chinese
), karengo
, sloke or slukos. The marine red alga Porphyra has been cultivated extensively in many Asian countries as an edible seaweed used to wrap the rice and fish that compose the Japanese food sushi
, and the Korean food gimbap
. In Japan, the annual production of Porphyra spp. is valued at 100 billion yen (US$ 1 billion).
Laver (seaweed)
Laver is an edible algae often considered to be a seaweed that has a high mineral salt content, particularly iodine and iron. It is used for making laverbread, a traditional Welsh dish. Laver is common around the west coast of Britain and east coast of Ireland along the Irish Sea.It is smooth and...
, comprising approximately 70 species. It grows in the intertidal zone
Intertidal zone
The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...
, typically between the upper intertidal zone and the splash zone in cold waters of temperate oceans. In East Asia, it is used to produce the sea vegetable
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
products nori
Nori
is the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver. Finished products are made by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking...
(in Japan) and gim (in Korea), the most commonly eaten seaweed. There are considered to be 60 to 70 species of Porphyra worldwide and seven in the British Isles.
Life cycle
Porphyra displays a heteromorphic alternation of generations. The thallus we see is the haploid generation; it can reproduce asexually by forming spores which grow to replicate the original thallus. It can also reproduce sexually. Both male and female gametes are formed on the one thallus. The female gametes while still on the thallus are fertilized by the released male gametes, which are non-motile. The fertilised, now diploid, carposporangia after mitosisMitosis
Mitosis is the process by which a eukaryotic cell separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus into two identical sets, in two separate nuclei. It is generally followed immediately by cytokinesis, which divides the nuclei, cytoplasm, organelles and cell membrane into two cells containing roughly...
produce spores (carpospores) which settle, then bore into shells, germinate and form a filamentous stage. This stage was originally thought to be a different species of alga, and was referred to as Conchocelis rosea. The fact that Conchocelis was the diploid stage of Porphyra was discovered by the British phycologist
Phycology
Phycology is the scientific study of algae. Phycology is a branch of life science and often is regarded as a subdiscipline of botany....
Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker
Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker
Kathleen Mary Drew Baker was a British phycologist, born in Leigh, Lancashire, particularly known for her basic research on the edible seaweed Porphyra laciniata , which led to a breakthrough for commercial growing....
in 1949 for the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an species Porphyra umbilicalis. It was later shown for species from other regions as well.
Food
Most human cultures with access to Porphyra use it as a food or somehow in the diet, making it perhaps the most domesticated of the marine algae, known as laverLaver (seaweed)
Laver is an edible algae often considered to be a seaweed that has a high mineral salt content, particularly iodine and iron. It is used for making laverbread, a traditional Welsh dish. Laver is common around the west coast of Britain and east coast of Ireland along the Irish Sea.It is smooth and...
, nori
Nori
is the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver. Finished products are made by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking...
(Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
), amanori (Japanese), zakai, gim (Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
), zicai (Chinese
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
), karengo
Karengo
Porphyra columbina, or Karengo in the Māori language, is a type of edible seaweed traditionally harvested by South Island Māori. It is closely related to Japanese Nori and Welsh laver....
, sloke or slukos. The marine red alga Porphyra has been cultivated extensively in many Asian countries as an edible seaweed used to wrap the rice and fish that compose the Japanese food sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
, and the Korean food gimbap
Gimbap
Gimbap or kimbap is a popular Korean dish made from steamed white rice and various other ingredients, rolled in gim and served in bite-size slices...
. In Japan, the annual production of Porphyra spp. is valued at 100 billion yen (US$ 1 billion).
Species
- Porphyra abbottiae V.Krishnamurthy, Red laver
- Porphyra leucosticta Thur.
- Porphyra linearis Grev.Robert Kaye GrevilleRobert Kaye Greville was a Scottish mycologist, bryologist, and botanist. He was an accomplished artist and illustrator of natural history. In addition to science he was interested in political causes like abolitionism, capital punishment, keeping Sunday special and the temperance movement...
- Porphyra miniata (C.AgardhCarl Adolph AgardhCarl Adolph Agardh was a Swedish botanist specializing in algae, who was eventually appointed bishop of Karlstad.-Biography:...
) - Porphyra purpurea (RothAlbrecht Wilhelm RothAlbrecht Wilhelm Roth was a physician and botanist who was a native of Dötlingen, Germany.He studied medicine at the Universities of Halle and Erlangen, where he received his doctorate in 1778....
) - Porphyra tenera
- Porphyra umbilicalis (L.Carolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
) J.Agardh.Jacob Georg AgardhJacob Georg Agardh was a Swedish botanist, phycologist, and taxonomist.-Biography:He was the son of Carl Adolph Agardh, and in 1854 was appointed professor of botany at Lund University... - Porphyra yezoensis Ueda
External links
- http://www.mbari.org/staff/conn/botany/reds/lisa/consume.htm Porphyra human consumption.