Sargassum Seaweed

Scientific Name(s): Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans
Abundance: plentiful
What: all parts
How: cooked
Where: sea shore
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: calories and protein
Dangers: sharks and blue-green algae

Medicinal Summary: 
Liver protector

Leaf Arrangement: Not applicable, as Sargassum seaweed does not have true leaves but fronds.

Leaf Shape: The fronds are ribbon-like with a series of leaf-like structures called blades, which can be up to 2 inches long.

Leaf Venation: Not applicable to Sargassum, as it does not have veins but rather a simple blade structure.

Leaf Margin: The edges of the fronds are smooth and often undulate, resembling a ruffled appearance.

Leaf Color: Typically a golden brown to olive green, depending on age and environmental conditions.

Flower Structure: Sargassum does not produce flowers; it reproduces through fragmentation and the release of spores.

Flower Color: Not applicable, as Sargassum does not flower.

Fruit: Sargassum does not produce fruit in the traditional sense but releases spores from receptacles. 

Seed: Does not produce seeds; reproduction is through spore release and fragmentation.

Stem: The stem-like structures are called stipes, which are flexible, tough, and range from a few inches to over a foot in length.

Hairs: No hairs are present; the surface of the fronds and stipes are smooth.

Height: As a floating seaweed, Sargassum does not have a height but can form extensive mats on the water's surface.


Sargassum fluitans
SargassumFlutans1

Sargassum fluitans close-up
SargassumFlutans2

Sargassum natans
SargassumNatans1

SargassumNatans4

Sargassum natans close-up
SargassumNatans3

SargassumNatans2

Coating the Gulf Coast shores and floating in the Gulf waters, sargassum seaweed is generally considered to be a nuisance by beach-goers and city officials, but it plays a critical role in stabilizing beach sand when washed ashore. The seaweeds drifts in all year round but is heaviest during the summer. The floating clusters of sargassum are home to many creatures including tiny crabs, shrimp and other crustaceans.

Two forms of sargassum wash up on shores from Florida to Texas. To the untrained eye they look almost identical and since they are both edible, one doesn't have to be precise in their identification...though you should be. Sargassum fluitans generally has wide, short-stalked "leaves" and its pods usually are not tipped with small spikes. Sargassum natans has long, narrow "leaves" and its pods generally do have a single, tiny spike at the end opposite that attached to the main body.

All parts of sargassums are edible, including the numerous crustaceans that make this seaweed their home. It has a somewhat bitter flavor and is not considered to be as desirable as many of the more northern Pacific and Atlantic seaweeds. However, it is quite plentiful and a decent source of calories. Traditionally it is chopped up and cooked in many ways including boiled, steaming, and sautéing in hot oil. Experiment until you find a method and flavor you like.

The sargassum seaweed will be at its most fresh when plucked from the water rather than collected from shore but watch out for sharks in the water. Perhaps more of a threat is the possibility of contamination with toxic blue-green algae so if the sargassum isn't brown to reddish in color avoid it.

Please remember that sargassum is a vital part of a healthy, biologically diverse shoreline and on Galveston Island a permit is generally required to harvest any there.

Liver-protective properties: Quintal-Novelo C, Rangel-Méndez J, Ortiz-Tello Á, Graniel-Sabido M, Pérez-Cabeza de Vaca R, Moo-Puc R. A Sargassum fluitans Borgesen Ethanol Extract Exhibits a Hepatoprotective Effect In Vivo in Acute and Chronic Liver Damage Models. Biomed Res Int. 2018 Dec 20;2018:6921845. doi: 10.1155/2018/6921845. PMID: 30671467; PMCID: PMC6317085.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

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