Dark red, frequently becoming yellow above, thickest of the foliose red algae in the N Atlantic, flattened cartilaginous fronds, arising in groups of small, medium and large from an thick, discoid holdfast, obtuse, ovate with tapered base, to 500 mm long, 250 mm broad. Reproducing in the depths of winter.

One of the larger red seaweeds, Dilsea carnosa plants are tough and leathery. Several dark reddish brown, flat, blades gradually expand from a single disc shaped holdfast, and have short cylindrical stipes. The blades do not have a midrib or veins and are simple wedge or spoon shaped. The blades can be 15-30 cm long and 5-20 cm wide. Older blades may be split from the margin towards the base but the rounded oblong (obovate) shape of the blade is never quite lost.

Similar species: This is the thickest and most cartilaginous of the broad, leaf-like species. Could be confused with Schizymenia dubyi and Kallymenia reniformis, both of which are thinner and softer. Young plants are characteristically ligulate. Palmaria palmata has usually one or more narrow dichotomies and is thinner and more slippery.

Original publication: Kuntze, O. (1898). Revisio generum plantarum. Pars III (3). pp. 1-576. Leipzig, London, Milano, New York, Paris: Arthur Felix, Dulau & Co., U. Hoepli, Gust. A. Schechert, Charles Klincksierck.

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One of the larger red seaweeds, Dilsea carnosa plants are tough and leathery. Several dark reddish brown, flat, blades gradually expand from a single disc shaped holdfast, and have short cylindrical stipes. The blades do not have a midrib or veins and are simple wedge or spoon shaped. The blades can be 15-30 cm long and 5-20 cm wide. Older blades may be split from the margin towards the base but the rounded oblong (obovate) shape of the blade is never quite lost.

Link for MarLIN

Link for Algae Handbook (Pereira, 2010).

Direct use as food - food, consumed whole

Produces Hydrocolloids - The cell wall of this alga is heterogenous with a partly desulfated lambda-carrageenan as the major component and a minor component with gelling properties. The extract also contained a methylated fraction and a neutral polysaccharid identified as floridean starch (Zinuon et al., 1990).

Irvine, L.M. (1983). Seaweeds of the British Isles. Volume 1. Rhodophyta. Part 2A. Cryptonemiales (sensu stricto), Palmariales, Rhodymeniales. Vol. 1 pp. xii + 115. London: British Museum (Natural History).

Loiseaux-de Goër, S. & Noailles, M.-C. (2008). Algues de Roscoff. pp. [1]-215, col. figs. Roscoff: Editions de la Station Biologique de Roscoff.

TARIQ V.N. (1991). Antifungal Activity in Crude Extracts of Marine Red Algae. Mycological Research 95: 1433-1440.

Basionym: Fucus carnosus Schmidel

Type locality: Dieppe ().

Lectotype: BM (: pl. 114).