description Fucus vesiculosus Overview
*Fucus vesiculosus*, commonly called bladderwrack, is a brown alga of rocky intertidal shores in the North Atlantic and adjacent seas. Its flattened olive-brown fronds usually have paired gas-filled bladders that help keep them near the light at low tide. The seaweed has a long history of use as an iodine source, although its iodine content can vary among specimens and locations.
help Fucus vesiculosus FAQ
Why does Fucus vesiculosus have air bladders?
Its paired gas-filled vesicles help lift the flattened fronds toward light when the plant is underwater. The bladders are one of the clearest features separating bladderwrack from several other rocky-shore fucoids. [MarLIN species profile](https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1330)
Where does bladderwrack grow?
Fucus vesiculosus is a brown alga of rocky intertidal shores around the North Atlantic and adjacent seas. It commonly occupies the mid-eulittoral zone, where it is regularly covered and uncovered by the tide. [MarLIN habitat profile](https://www.marlin.ac.uk/habitats/detail/329/fucus_vesiculosus_on_mid_eulittoral_mixed_substrata)
Do all Fucus vesiculosus plants have air bladders?
No. Plants from highly exposed coasts may lack vesicles and are known as the form Fucus vesiculosus forma evesiculosus. Wave exposure can therefore make bladderwrack look more like other narrow-bladed Fucus species. [MarLIN species profile](https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1330)
How does Fucus vesiculosus reproduce?
It develops reproductive receptacles on the fronds, with British populations beginning receptacle formation around December and retaining them into late summer. A mature plant can produce more than one million eggs, although early germlings face heavy mortality. [MarLIN species profile](https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1330)
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