Fucus — the wracks — arethe seaweeds most people picture when they think of a rocky shore: denseolive-brown blankets of flat, forking, leathery fronds covering the mid andlower intertidal, many species carrying paired air bladders along a prominentmidrib. They occupy a narrow, sharply defined band on the shore and support anextraordinary amount of life, with over ninety epiphytic species recorded on Fucusserratus alone, plus winkles, amphipods and small crustaceans sheltering inthe canopy at low tide. At 20 x 20 x 12cm this is a low, spreading clump ratherthan a tall specimen — the right proportion for intertidal and splash-zonebuilds, rockpool interpretation and the shallow margins of temperate displays.
Habitat/Exhibit use:
North Atlantic rocky intertidal;ubiquitous on UK and Irish shores. For rockpool and touch-pool exhibits, tidaland splash-zone scenes, native-species displays and shoreline interpretation
