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FUCUS edulis.
Red Leathery Fucus, or Dulse.
CRYPTOGAMIA Alga.
Gen. Char. Seeds produced in clustered tubercles,
which burst at their summits.
Spec. Char. Frond leathery, wedge-shaped, nearly
undivided, smooth on both sides, rounded at the
summit, entire at the margin.
Syn. Fucus edulis. Turn. Syn. 180. With. v. 4. 101.
Hull. 3 2 9 . Stackh. t. 12.
F. palmatus @. Lightf. 9 3 5 .
F. scoticus'latissimus edulis dulcis. Rail Syn. 4 6 .
M r . T U R N ER has received this from Dover, Cornwall, and
North Wales. We have collected it on the Leith shore; but
it is less frequent there than the palmatus, which last we can
confidently assert to be the species most commonly eaten raw
at Edinburgh, however preferable that now before us may be
for culinary purposes, on account of its more fleshy texture
and abundant mucilage.
It differs from the preceding in being thicker and more coriaceous,
consequently of a darker hue when held against the
light; but is more particularly distinguished by its obovate obtuse
undivided form, scarcely cloven or lobed, by no means
palmate. Old specimens are often very large, a foot or more
in length and several inches wide, and they are generally
found perforated, or eaten away, as it should seem, by marine
animals.
When moistened after having been dried this species more
particularly exhales a violet scent, in which, as well as in'colour,
it shows an affinity to Byssus lolithus of Linnaeus, and
indeed to eur B. purpurea, v. 3 .1. 19 2 .