What (who) is Kelp - definition
![[[Alaska]]n beach kelp](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Chowiet Island beach kelp.jpg?width=200 "[[Alaska]]n beach kelp")
.jpg?width=200 "''Costaria costata,'' five-ribbed kelp")
![[[Scuba diving]] in a kelp forest in [[California]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Kelp by Gustavo Gerdel.jpg?width=200 "[[Scuba diving]] in a kelp forest in [[California]]")
![[[Saccharina latissima]] in canned salad form](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Morskaja-kapusta.jpg?width=200 "[[Saccharina latissima]] in canned salad form")
![Kelp Forest exhibit]]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) 01.jpg?width=200 "Kelp Forest exhibit]]")
![A close up view of ''[[Ecklonia maxima]],'' giant brown kelp](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/CLOSE UP OF ECKLONIA MAXIMA LEAF.jpg?width=200 "A close up view of ''[[Ecklonia maxima]],'' giant brown kelp")
Wikipedia
Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant but a stramenopile, a group containing many protists.
Kelp grows in "underwater forests" (kelp forests) in shallow oceans, and is thought to have appeared in the Miocene, 5 to 23 million years ago. The organisms require nutrient-rich water with temperatures between 6 and 14 °C (43 and 57 °F). They are known for their high growth rate—the genera Macrocystis and Nereocystis can grow as fast as half a metre a day, ultimately reaching 30 to 80 metres (100 to 260 ft).
Through the 19th century, the word "kelp" was closely associated with seaweeds that could be burned to obtain soda ash (primarily sodium carbonate). The seaweeds used included species from both the orders Laminariales and Fucales. The word "kelp" was also used directly to refer to these processed ashes.
