furbelows

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furbelows The common name for the brown seaweed Saccorhiza polyschides (S. bulbosa) of the order Laminariales. Although an annual plant, it is the largest seaweed found in Britain, reaching lengths of 3–5 m. The holdfast is an inflated, bulbous structure with a characteristic knobbly surface; the stipe is flattened, twisted at the base, with broad frilly margins; and the blade is fan-shaped in outline and divided into many broad ribbons. Furbelows grows at the low-water mark and below.

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