Brachytrichia quoyi (PROSEA)
 |
Introduction |
Brachytrichia quoyi (C.Agardh) ex Bornet & Flahault
- Protologue: Révis. Nostoc. hét.: 373 (1886).
- Family: Mastigocladaceae
- Chromosome number: Prokaryotic, thus no chromosomes
Synonyms
- Nostoc quoyi C. Agardh (1824),
- Brachytrichia balani Bornet & Flahault (1885),
- B. lloydii (P. Crouan & H. Crouan) P.C. Silva (1996).
Origin and geographic distribution
B. quoyi occurs throughout the tropics in warm-temperate to tropical waters in the Atlantic (including the Mediterranean Sea), Indian and Pacific Oceans. In South-East Asia it is found in Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak), Singapore, Indonesia (Sulawesi, the Moluccas) and the Philippines.
Uses
B. quoyi is eaten as a vegetable in China and Taiwan. The plants may be fried with fish and pork, or sweetened and preserved as candy.
Production and international trade
Commercial cultivation of B. quoyi is not known to exist.
Description
- Thalli becoming folded and hollow with age, forming a firm gelatinous mass, ranging from flat to spherical to irregular, and of a few mm to several cm in diameter.
- Trichomes 4-5 μm in diameter at base, becoming broader before tapering to 1 μm at the apex.
- True or false branches arranged parallel or radially in the gelatinous matrix; Y-shaped branches at apices of loops.
- Heterocysts intercalary, spherical, oval or subglobose, up to 12 μm in diameter.
Other botanical information
B. lloydii has recently been restored as a separate species.
Ecology
B. quoyi grows in the upper intertidal zone, attached to rocks, wood, larger algae or seagrass leaves. It is found in areas where salinity is consistently high and the water is clear. Plants with a smooth surface are normally found on rocks exposed to direct sunlight and are deep blue-green, while those with a plicate surface generally grow immersed in tide pools and are brown.
Handling after harvest
B. quoyi can be sun-dried after being pressed into balls and squeezed to get rid of the water.
Prospects
Although there is no information on the use of B. quoyi as a food in South-East Asia, it may be a promising plant resource for the region. Biochemical characterization should be conducted to evaluate the nutritional value and other useful properties of B. quoyi.
Literature
- Humm, H.J. & Wicks, S.R., 1980. Introduction and guide to the marine bluegreen algae. John Wiley and Sons, New York, United States. 194 pp.
- Umezaki, I., 1961. The marine bluegreen algae of Japan. Memoirs of the College of Agriculture, Kyoto University 83 (Fisheries Series No 8): 1-149.
- Xia, B. & Abbott, I.A., 1987. Edible seaweeds of China and their place in the Chinese diet. Economic Botany 41(3): 341-353.
Sources of illustration
Umezaki, I., 1961. The marine blue-green algae of Japan. Memoirs of the College of Agriculture, Kyoto University 83 (Fisheries Series No 8): plate 13, p. 141. Redrawn and adapted by P. Verheij-Hayes.
Authors
- S.-M. Phang
