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Veronica Gibson

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@algaebae

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Limu ʻakiaki: nibbling algae

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Ahnfeltiopsis concinna (J.Agardh) is named limu ʻakiaki in the Hawaiian language. The name ʻakiaki means small nibbles, as taken by a fish or a person. This coarse Rhodophyte is often found on basaltic shorelines with high wave action, and is delicious when eaten chopped with the limpets known as ʻopihi (Cellana spp.) who also feed upon it. It also makes a flavorful thickener for soups, stews, and gravies. Your author's mouth is watering just thinking of the ʻono, or delicious, flavor. Dr. Isabella Abbott described the characteristic features of this genus as follows: "Erect, wiry, elongate, most branching near apices where plants are usually bleached yellow; plants usually in continuous high-intertidal bands on basalt rock; cells of medulla small but densely packed; all reproductive structures internal and inconspicuous." However, Hawaiian cultural practitioners are likely to tell you that the most reliable identification is their taste buds!