Chondrus crispus Stachkouse

Chondrus crispus Stackhouse, known under the common name Irish moss, or carrageen moss (Irish carraigín, "moss of the rock"), is a species of red alga  which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America. In its fresh condition the plant is soft and cartilaginous, varying in colour from a greenish-yellow, through red, to a dark purple or purplish-brown; but when washed and sun-dried for preservation it has a yellowish translucent horn-like aspect and consistency. The principal constituent of Irish moss is a mucilaginous body, made of the polysaccharide carrageenan of which it contains about 55%; the plant also has nearly 10% of protein and about 15% of mineral matter, and is rich in iodine and sulphur. When softened in water it has a sea-like odour, and because of the abundant mucilage it will form a jelly when boiled, containing from 20 to 30 times its weight of water.

Description
Chondrus crispus is a relatively small red algae little more than 20cms long growing from a discoid holdfast and branching in a dichotomous, fan-like, manner four or five times. The morphology is very variable, especially the broadness of the thalli. The branches are 2 - 15 mm broad, firm in texture and dark reddish brown in colour bleaching to yellowish in sunlight. The gametophytes (see below) often show a blue iridescence and fertile sporophytes show a spotty pattern. Mastocarpus stellatus (Stackhouse) Guiry is a similar species which can be readily distinguished being strongly channelled and often somewhat twisted. The cystocarpic plants of Mastocarpus show reproductive papillae quite distinctively different from Chondrus.

Distribution
Chondrus crispus is common all around the shores of the British Isles. It is to be found along the coast of Europe from Iceland, the Faroe Islands western Baltic Sea to southern Spain. It is found on the Atlantic coasts of Canada and recorded from California in and the United States and Japan. . However, any distribution outside the Northern Atantic need to be verified. There are also other species in the Pacific Ocean, for example, C. ocellatus, C. nipponicus Yendo, C. yendoi Yamada et Mikami, C. pinnulatus (Harvey) Okamura and C. armatus (Harvey) Yamada et Mikami

Uses
Irish moss is a major source of carrageenan, which is commonly used as a thickener and stabilizer in milk products such as ice cream and processed foods including luncheon meat. It may also be used as a thickener in calico-printing and for fining beer or wine. Irish moss is frequently mixed with Mastocarpus stellatus (Gigartina mammillosa), Chondracanthus acicularis  (G. acicularis) and other seaweeds with which it is associated in growth. Carrageenan and agar-agar are also used in Asia for gelatin-like deserts such as almond jelly. Irish moss is also a beverage popular in the Caribbean (most notably Jamaica), and is made by boiling the Irish moss for about an hour in water, and a flavouring, among which Vanilla or Strawberry are popular, and then milk or sweetened condensed milk is added, or sometimes it is made flavourless and once the milk has been added rum and spices are then added. It is usually served chilled, is very thick and is sometimes thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. It is also now available ready made, tinned. The Irish Moss used in the Caribbean is most often Gracilaria spp. To make a nice seaweed dessert add a handful fresh, dried or frozen Chondrus, mix with 1 liter of milk, boil for 15 minutes, remove the seaweeds, add sugar and and a flavoring (e.g. vanilla or chocolate) to taste and let cool.

Life cycle
Chondrus crispus undergoes an alternation of generation life cycle common in many species of algae. There are two distinct stages: the sexual haploid gametophyte stage and the asexual diploid sporophyte stage. In addition there is a third stage- the carposporophyte, which is formed on the female gametophyte after fertilization. The male and female gametophytes produce gametes which fuse to form a diploid carposporophyte, which forms carpospores, which develops into the sporophyte. The sporophyte then undergoes meiosis to produce haploid tetraspores (which can be male or female) that develop into gametophytes. The three stages (male, female and sporophyte) are difficult to distinguish when they are not fertile; however, the gametophytes often show a blue irridescence.





Scientific interest
Chondrus crispus is, compared to most other seaweeds, well studied scientifically. It is possibly the most studied red algal species. It has been used as a model species to study, for example, photosynthesis, carageenan biosynthesis, and stress responses.

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