FUCUS

also called Rockweed, genus of brown algae, common on rocky seacoasts and in salt marshes of northern temperate regions. Adaptations to its environment include bladderlike floats (pneumatocysts), disk-shaped holdfasts for clinging to rocks, and mucilage-covered blades for resisting desiccation and temperature changes. The plant is between 25 and 30 centimetres (9.8 to 11.8 inches) in total length; growth of the thallus is localized and occurs at the tip of forked shoots that arise from the holdfasts. The male and female reproductive organs may occur on the same or separate organisms; some species produce eggs and sperm all year long. Fucus is a perennial alga with a lifespan of up to four years. In Roman times it was the source of a brown facial cosmetic. Today Fucus species, along with kelp (q.v.), are an important source of alginatescolloidal extracts with many industrial uses similar to those of agar.