Limu Pālahalaha.
Bright green "sea lettuce" with broad, translucent sheets that drape the intertidal.
Limu pālahalaha, also known as "sea lettuce," is a bright green seaweed with broad, paper-thin sheets that drape across rocks in the intertidal zone.
It is delicious eaten raw in salads or added to soups, and was traditionally one of the easiest limu to gather thanks to its abundance and visibility.
Pālahalaha thrives in nutrient-rich water and is sometimes considered an indicator of land-based runoff — large blooms can signal that nearby reefs are receiving excess nitrogen.
More from Seaweeds (Limu).
Limu Wāwaeʻiole
Soft, finger-like green algae whose name means "rat's foot." Traditionally eaten fresh or salted.
Limu Manauea
A reddish-brown branching limu and a star ingredient of traditional ʻahi poke.
Limu Līpoa
Aromatic brown algae with a strong, almost peppery flavor.
Limu Kohu
Reddish-pink, soft and feathery — perhaps the most highly prized Hawaiian limu.