Saccharina japonica

Scientific classification

(unranked):     SAR

Superphylum: Heterokonta

Class:   Phaeophyceae

Order: Laminariales

Family:            Laminariaceae

Genus: Saccharina

Species:           S. japonica

Binomial name           Saccharina japonica

(J.E. Areschoug) C.E. Lane, C. Mayes, Druehl & G.W. Saunders

Synonyms

Laminaria japonica J.E. Areschoug

Laminaria ochotensis Miyabe

Saccharina japonica is a marine species of Phaeophyceae (brown algae), a type of kelp or seaweed, that is extensively cultivated in China, Japan and Korea.

A commercially important species, Saccharina japonica is known as kombu (in China haidai, in Korea dasima), an important food from Japan. Large harvests are produced by rope cultivation, a simple method of growing seaweeds by attaching them to floating ropes in the ocean.

The species is native to Japan, but has been cultivated in China, Japan, Russia, France, and Korea. It is one of the two most consumed species of kelp in China and Japan. The harvest is also used for the production of alginates, with China producing up to ten thousand tonnes of the product each year.

Consuming excessive amounts of Saccharina japonica has been shown to suppress thyroid function.

The species was transferred to Saccharina in 2006. Three synonyms for this species name are Laminaria japonica J.E. Areschoug 1851, its variety Laminaria japonica var. ochotensis (Miyabe) Okamura 1936, and Laminaria ochotensis Miyabe 1902.