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The Hawaiian way to say seaweed is limu. It is one of the sources we use for food. There are about 420 species that grow in Hawaii. 13 of the 420 species can only be found here in Hawaii. Seaweed can be found in different colors (red, green or brown), shapes and sizes. It is mostly found near the shore, in the intertidal zone. Seaweed is gathered at beaches, near shore waters, and can also be found in vast underwater forests or floating on the water's surface. Seaweed can be very tiny or stretch to 300 ft or 100 m. That’s like from the ocean floor to the surface!
Seaweed is like an underwater weed because it grows freely and often times plentiful, but it is used for many things and is not a weed at all. Seaweed has many plant-like features, but they are not true vascular plants, they are marine algae. Algae is part of the Kingdom Protista, they are neither plants nor animals.
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Seaweed lack a specialized vascular system, roots, stems, leaves, and enclosed reproductive structures. With all parts of a seaweed in direct contact with the water, seaweed can absorb fluids, nutrients, and gases directly from the water and do not need an internal conducting system.
Seaweeds are like plants because it takes in sunlight to make food for itself, seaweeds are photosynthetic. Within their cells, seaweeds have chlorophyll which absorbs the sunlight needed for photosynthesis and is responsible for the green coloring of many seaweed. Some seaweeds also contain other light absorbing pigments that can be red, blue, brown or golden, creating the variety of different colored algae we're able to find.
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