Common Coralline

The thallus of C. officinalis is firmly attached generally to rock and grows in tufts to a length of 120mm. It has articulated pinnate branching with successive opposite lateral branches. Each frond consists of cylindrical calcified stipes which show segments each a little longer than broad, rising from a crustose base like a string of beads becoming larger and more wedge-shaped higher up the stipe. In colour the fronds are pinkish, it may bleach to white when exposed to sunlight.

C. officinalis is common, to be found on solid rock around Great Britain, Ireland and Isle of Man. Also recorded from the North Atlantic coast, from northern Norway to Morocco, and intermittently from Greenland to Argentina. Corallina is also found in USA, Argentina and elsewhere including some parts of Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand this species is found on the intertidal zone of the coasts of the Kermadec Islands, the North, South, Chatham and Stewart Islands as well as the Antipodes and Auckland Islands.

Corallina grows on rocks in rock pools and occasionally on shells or other algae, at mid-littoral to 33m deep, it provides a habitat for many small animals which feed on the microorganisms dwelling in its dense tufts.