Seaweed plants have no roots and produce no flowers. They comprise stem-like stalks and fronds, and instead of roots, they attach themselves to the surfaces they grow on by means of holdfasts, which anchor them in place.
Like all plants, seaweed contains a substance similar to chlorophyll that uses the sun's energy to produce food through the process known as photosynthesis. During this process, the seaweed takes in carbon dioxide and water and releases oxygen.
Most seaweeds grow in the shallower waters close to the shoreline, as this is where they are most exposed to the sunlight they need to survive. Many of the same nutrients found in soil, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, are available to seaweeds in the water in which they exist.