What Type of Plants Are in the Ocean?

Kelp

• Kelp is the largest of all ocean plants. Found in the colder ocean waters, the plant grows up to 250 feet in length and is very fast growing. Kelp is usually brown in color and lives mostly near the surface of the water. It keeps afloat with the use of small flotation bulbs. Kelp, a form of algae, commonly grows along the rocky coastlines at maximum depths of 18 to 90 feet. It fastens itself to the rocks of the coast with root-like fastening structures.

Red Algae

• Red algae are a common ocean plant of the warm, tropical waters that has existed in the oceans for more than 500-million years. As cited by the University of California-Berkeley, the red algae gets its color from a pigment known as phycoerythrin, which has the capacity to reflect red light and absorb blue light. Since blue light is able to reach deeper into the water than the light of longer wavelengths, these pigments make it possible for red algae to photosynthesize. Red algae are a rich source of vitamins and proteins and are harvested as an important food source in many Asian countries.

Seagrass

• Seagrass is an ocean plant with a high-light requirement. Seagrass is a rooted plant designed to live on the ocean floors. Some common varieties of seagrass include turtle grass, manatee grass and shoal grass. Seagrass is a form of land plant that has evolved through time to live in the salt-water oceans. The plants produce flowers and release pollen, which is carried through the water and helps to pollinate other ocean plants. Seagrass also produces seeds, which are distributed through the ocean by the animals that eat the fruits of the grass. Seagrass grows from rhizomes and is found between the salt marshes in the more temperate waters. The plant is a food source for lobsters and crabs.