What is "nereocystis lutkeana"

Sea otter \Sea" ot"ter\ (Zo["o]l.) An aquatic carnivore ( Enhydris lutris syn. Enhydris marina) found in the North Pacific Ocean. Its fur is highly valued, especially by the Chinese. It is allied to the common otter, but is larger, with feet more decidedly webbed.

Sea-otter's cabbage (Bot.), a gigantic kelp of the Pacific Ocean ( Nereocystis Lutkeana). See Nereocystis.

Kelp \Kelp\ (k[e^]lp), n. [Formerly kilpe; of unknown origin.]

1. The calcined ashes of seaweed, -- formerly much used in the manufacture of glass, now used in the manufacture of iodine.

2. (Bot.) Any large blackish seaweed.

   Note: Laminaria is the common kelp of Great Britain; Macrocystis pyrifera and Nereocystis Lutkeana are the great kelps of the Pacific Ocean.

   Kelp crab (Zo["o]l.), a California spider crab ( Epialtus productus), found among seaweeds, which it resembles in color.

   Kelp salmon (Zo["o]l.), a serranoid food fish ( Serranus clathratus) of California. See Cabrilla.

Nereocystis \Ne`re*o*cys"tis\, prop. n. [NL. See Nereid, and Cyst.] (Bot.) A genus of gigantic seaweeds.

Note: Nereocystis Lutkeana, of the North Pacific, has a stem many fathoms long, terminating in a great vesicle, which is crowned with a tuft of long leaves. The stem is used by the Alaskans for fishing lines.