Family Description:
The members of this family and order are among the most primitive of the red algae and lack the complex structures that appear in most other reds. The conspicuous individual is the haploid gametophyte, and the alternate phase is a microscopic filamentous "conchocelis" phase that grows within the shells of marine mollusks and barnacles. Egg cells form on the macroscopic gametophyte, and they are fertilized by spermatia from the same or a different plant. Following fertilization, the zygote divides directly into a packet of spores called zygotospores (to differentiate them from carpospores formed in higher red algae). These diploid spores germinate into the diploid filamentous (and presumably perennial) conchocelis. In some species, gametophytic and conchocelis phases produce asexual spores that germinate to give rise to another individual of the same phase. Therefore, despite being structurally simple, many species of Porphyra rival other reds in the complexity of their life cycles. Botanists have suggested that the boring conchocelis phase is an adaptation to resist grazing by such herbivores as limpets. However, fossils of boring conchocelis have been dated to more than 500 million years ago, long before the first limpet appeared.
Porphyra is a difficult genus of red algae, and you cannot expect to identify every specimen you find. Species in addition to those listed below are also found in our area.

Species description:
This alga has a distinctive bluish green color that has led us to give it this unusual common name. Blades can be broadly ovate (shaped like fat eggs) to irregularly circular, sometimes lobed, and almost always abundantly ruffled. Blades seldom reach 15 cm (6 in) in their longer dimension. As the zygotospores mature, the margin becomes bright red. Spermatangia form small, colorless patches among the zygotosporangia.

This species is among the tastiest on our shores. Its occurrence in the high intertidal makes it relatively accessible even during winter months, when it reaches its prime in southern British Columbia. It is frequently intermixed with Porphyra pseudolanceolata and Porphyra schizophylla, two species we won't discuss here, other than to say they are more olive-green in color and thus easy to distinguish from Teal Nori.

Teal Nori is common in winter and early spring in our area. On exposed coastlines, it can form a discontinuous band in the high intertidal zone. We have also seen it in more protected places such as the San Juan Islands, Washington.

Source:  North Pacific Seaweeds

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Porphyra perforata