Porphyra

Porphyra is a genus of marine red algae whose thin blades grow on rocky shores and other substrates. Several species have been harvested or cultivated as edible seaweed, including traditional nori.

Red algae: Red algae are photosynthetic eukaryotes characterized by pigments including phycoerythrin and phycocyanin. Porphyra belongs to this diverse algal lineage, whose pigments color its blades.
Nori: Nori is dried edible seaweed, commonly made from cultivated red algae in the order Bangiales. Porphyra species supplied traditional nori, though many cultivated species are now classified as Pyropia.
Bangiophyte reproduction: Bangiophyte reproduction includes sexual and asexual stages, often involving spores and alternating life-history phases. These reproductive stages generate the blade and microscopic phases in Porphyra relatives.
Pyropia tenera: Pyropia tenera is a red alga cultivated for nori, especially in Japan. It was long called Porphyra tenera, but current classifications place it in Pyropia.
Bangiophyceae: Bangiophyceae is a class of red algae that includes Porphyra and other simple, often filamentous forms. This class places Porphyra among red algae with relatively simple blade or filament forms.
Pyropia: Pyropia is a genus of marine red algae that includes several species cultivated for nori. Many seaweeds formerly called Porphyra, including major nori crops, were reclassified into Pyropia.
Carpospore: A carpospore is a diploid spore produced after fertilization in red algae. Carpospores from Porphyra blades develop into the conchocelis phase.
Neopyropia yezoensis: Neopyropia yezoensis is a cultivated red alga used for nori and formerly classified as Pyropia yezoensis. Its reassignment illustrates how revisions split species once placed in Porphyra.
Porphyra life cycle: The Porphyra life cycle alternates a conspicuous blade stage with a microscopic filamentous conchocelis stage. The two-stage cycle explains how its blades reproduce and persist between seasons.
Porphyra umbilicalis: Porphyra umbilicalis is a red alga found on exposed rocky shores of the North Atlantic. This edible species is gathered as laver in parts of Europe and the British Isles.

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