Cartilaginous seaweed. Up to 17 cm lenght. With dark-red colour, sometimes looking purple. Channeled fronds with a thickened edge and shaped like a discoid holdfast. Narrow stripe that expand into a strap-like blade, usually tangled. On female plants the upper part of fronds has papillae (reproductive bodies) up to 10mm or more long on surfaces and margins. Male plants lack papillae are generally rare. It is commonly named Irish wrongfully, as it may be confused with Chondrus crispus (Irish moss). The main features separating the two species being the channeled frond and the appearance of reproductive bodies on mature female plants.

References:
(Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 25 November 2013.

Pereira, Leonel. http://macoi.ci.uc.pt/spec_list_detail.php?spec_id=117; accessed on 25 November 2013.)