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Caulerpa is a genus of tropical marine green algae (seaweeds) in the family Caulerpaceae, made of single giant cells with many nuclei. Members are grown in aquariums and aquaculture, and some species, such as sea grapes, are eaten.
Caulerpa is a genus of seaweeds in the family Caulerpaceae (among the green algae). They are unusual because they consist of only one cell with many nuclei, also known as coenocytic or siphonous algae, making them among the biggest single cells in the world.
Referring to the crawling habit of its thallus, the name means 'stem (that) creeps', from the Ancient Greek kaulos (καυλός, 'stalk') and herpo (ἕρπω, 'to creep').
Some species of Caulerpa are edible. The two most commonly eaten are Caulerpa lentillifera and Caulerpa racemosa, both called "sea grapes" in English. Both are traditionally harvested in the wild and sold in local markets in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and East Asia. They are eaten raw in salads and have a characteristic "sea" flavor and a crunchy texture.
Both species are cultivated in aquaculture. Their cultivation began in the 1950s in Cebu, Philippines, after accidental introduction of C. lentillifera to fish ponds. Cultivation of C. lentillifera continued in Japan in 1986, where it was cultivated in tanks in the tropical waters of Okinawa. Commercial cultivation has since spread to other countries, including Vietnam, Taiwan, and China (in Fujian and Hainan). Most are for domestic consumption, but they are also exported to Japan.
Caulerpa is mostly found in tropical regions, however its distribution may also extend up to temperate locations. Diversity is highest in the Caribbean and the Indo-Malay region, as well as in southern Australia, where a majority of Caulerpa species are endemic.
Caulerpa is common in the aquarium hobby as a nitrate absorber because of its rapid growth under relatively adverse conditions. It may also be used in refugiums for a long-term nitrite absorber. Many introductions of invasive Caulerpa to the wild are thought to have occurred via aquarium dumping although there is no proof that this is so. For this reason, some aquarium hobbyists have begun using Chaetomorpha or an algae scrubber instead.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Caulerpa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
