Bladderwrack is a seaweed found on the coasts of the North Sea, the western Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

description
Bladderwrack is a perennial plant of the Fucaceae family ranging in color from light yellow to brownish-green and grows up to 2-3 feet in length. Bladderwrack leaves are fan shaped and it attaches itself to rocks via root-like extremities growing from its leathery stalk.

Bladderwrack has flattened, branching fronds, which have an obvious midrib, and are covered with spherical air bladders, which tend to occur in pairs on either side of the mid-rib. In small plants, however, air bladders may be entirely absent. Forked and pointed reproductive structures occur at the tips of the fronds.

The appearance of bladderwrack varies depending on the environmental conditions in which it occurs; in more sheltered areas there are many air bladders, whereas there are fewer in more exposed conditions. In very exposed areas, a form of bladder wrack may arise, which completely lacks bladders.

common names
& nomenclature
"Vesiculosus" is from the Latin and means covered with little bladders or blisters.

A general West Germanic borrowing, cf. Old Frisian bete, Middle Dutch bete, Old High German bieza, German Beete.

Also known as:
bladder wrack, lady wrack, sea ware, bladder wrack rockweed, kelp, seawrack, kelpware, black-tang, bladder fucus, cutweed, seaweed, sea oak, black tany, cutweed, fucus sea-wrack, kelp-ware, black-tang, quercus marina, cutweed, bladder fucus, fucus vesiculeux, blasentang, seetang, and meeriche

climate
Bladderwrack is a seaweed found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

growing
Bladderwrack has separate male and female plants, and reproduction takes place once a year. Sex cells are produced in structures known as 'receptacles' located at the tips of the fronds. Eggs and sperm are released simultaneously into the water; the eggs release a pheromone that attracts the sperm, and fertilization occurs externally. The fertilized egg settles to the substrate where it becomes attached after just a few hours.

harvesting
Harvest by picking the freshest bladderwrack possible. Make certain that the plant is still alive and attached to its anchor—it's best to collect at the low tide mark or in rock pools. If at all possible the bladderwrack should simply be sun-dried as this gives maximal flavor and nutrient retention.

preserving
When dry, bladderwrack can be cut into pieces or powdered and stored in air-tight boxes, it can also be frozen for future use.