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Sea lettuce

©Dorset Wildlife Trust

Sea lettuce

Sea lettuce is unmistakeable - most often a bright green and always translucent, it is found on all UK coasts.

Enw gwyddonol

Ulva lactuca

Pryd i'w gweld

January to December

Species information

Categori

Ystadegau

Length: up to 20cm Frond width: up to 30cm
Common

Cynefinoedd

Ynghylch

Sea lettuce is a common seaweed, found attached to rocks and other surfaces using a small holdfast or living in rockpools if it has become detatched. The detatched fronds continue to grow and can create large floating colonies. The ruffled fronds are unique - bright green and translucent, being only 2 cells thick. It is this ruffling that gives it the name sea lettuce - as it looks a bit like a lettuce leaf! (The word lactuca in its scientific name means lettuce).

Sut i'w hadnabod

Sea lettuce lives up to its name: it looks like green, floppy lettuce leaves which are often tatty in appearance but are quite tough.

Dosbarthiad

Found on all UK coasts.

Roeddech chi yn gwybod?

Sea lettuce is sometimes eaten as 'Green laver' but 'Purple laver' (Porphyra umbilicalis) is much preferred. Both are used to make laver bread - a Welsh speciality - and are also used to complement rice in Japanese and Korean cooking.