Ectocarpus siliculosus is a filamentous brown alga (Heterokontophyta).Its genome was the first brown macroalgal genome to be sequenced, with the expectation that E. siliculosus will serve as a genetic and genomic model for brown macroalgae. The alga is unbranched and filamentous

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it forms soft beards on larger plants or other firm substrata and grows up to 2 feet long.