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Prasiola meridionalis, short sea lettuce.
There are five Prasiola species found in the world. They consist of very small blades (at most a few centimetres in length) usually one cell thick. At Race Rocks it is found as a green fuzz in the spray zone, above the upper intertidal zone.It is also found along thePacific coast from Alaska to Chile.
- Interesting local ecology: Tufts of these blades resemble little cabbages growing on wood or rock above the high level or along freshwater streams. Prasiola can tolerate and exploit high-nitrogen conditions that most plants would find toxic. Therefore a unique aspect of their distribution is their association with guano of marine birds.
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