Turkish Washcloth (Mastocarpus jardinii)

Description: Turkish washcloth has 10-15 cm long blades that are narrow but thick. The blades are forked with several even parts and often have small bumps along them. Many blades grow together in clumps The color of this algae when submerged is red-brown but dries when out of the water to a dark brown or almost black color.

Habitat: This algae lives northward to British Columbia, Canada and southward to central California. It can be found on rocks from the high to mid intertidal zones.

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• The edges of each blade are thicker than the center leading to an almost curved appearance.

• The sporophytes of Turkish washcloth have a visible life stage where they form a crust-like covering on rocks that’s only 2.5 mm thick.

References: Stanford SeaNet, The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest by J Duane Sept