Skip to main content

Story: Seaweed

A rare red seaweed

Image
A rare red seaweed

The small Gelidium longipes grows only in a few spots in northern New Zealand. Like some other red seaweeds, it produces agar, a jelly-like substance which is used commercially.

Using this item

NIWA – National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Seaweed – What is seaweed?, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4585/a-rare-red-seaweed (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.