Scientific Name: Eualaria fistulosa
Number of Blades/Leaves: 1
Blade/Leaf Width: Available in 3.94” (10cm) wide, 7.87” (20cm) wide, or 11.81” (30cm) wide
Distribution: This canopy-forming kelp calls the northeastern Pacific Ocean its home.
Description: Eualaria fistulosa, also called Dragon kelp is brown with a large branching holdfast, a stipe 25cm long, and a blade with a midrib up to 25m long and 1m wide. The midrib is 2 to 3cm wide with gas-filled chambers that hold the blade in the water column. These air bladders within the midrib of the blade, allows the blade to float to the surface of the sea. A number of other characters are its large, complex conical holdfast, its wide, flattened rachis, and its larger size. Eualaria species are found in the intertidal or shallow subtidal waters, often in a distinct band just above the Laminaria/Saccharina band. Eualaria fistulosa is the only species in the genus that is a true denizen of the subtidal environment, where it forms extensive offshore floating kelp beds.