Species:

Note: The species is common in the upper part of the subtidal zone at semi exposed sites along the coast of Norway. It often grows epiphytic on stipes of Laminaria or Fucus serratus. In North-Norway it is also common in the intertidal. The thallus is flat and may be up to 30 cm. It attached by a small disc, and often irregularly divided in a few sections. Large specimens often carry blades growing from the edge. Specimens are either tetrasporophytes or male gametophytes, since the female gametophyte is microscopic and crustforming. Small specimens can be mixed up with Dilsea carnosa, but can be separated from this by its rounded medullary cells. Dulse (søl in Norwegian and Icelandic) has traditionally been used as food in the North Atlantic.