Macrocystis, also known as "giant kelp", is a brown alga of which four species recognized, these are; M. integrifolia, M. angustifolia, M. pyrifera and M. laevis.

Macrocystis species are found in cold temperate oceans with surface temperatures ranging from 0 to 20°C, and their main distribution is circumpolar in the southern hemisphere, between 40° and 60°S longitude.

They are also present in the major upwelling areas including the west coast of South Africa, the Pacific coast of South America and in North America from Baja California north.

Kelp, (Brown Algae/Giant Kelp) is the common name for large, leafy brown algae, known as seaweed, that grow along colder coastlines.

The principal genera of kelp are the true kelps, found in most cool seas, and the giant kelps and bladder kelps, both of which are restricted to the northern Pacific. The giant kelps grow as long as 65 m (213 ft). Giant kelp is the fastest growing plant in the ocean. Under ideal conditions it can grow as much as two feet per day.

The kelp plant has a rootlike holdfast that fixes to rocky surfaces; a long, slender stalk, or stipe; and long, leaflike blades that manufacture food by photosynthesis. Kelps, like ferns, reproduce by alternation of generations.

Giant kelp is called the "Rainforest of the Sea" because it provides the earth with a large percentage of oxygen, hundreds of species depend upon it for survival and it functions as a terrestrial forest.

Once a major source of iodine and soda, kelp is now used to manufacture algin (alginic acid) which has wide industrial uses. It can be made into a silklike thread or a plastic material, insoluble in water, that is used to make films, gels, rubber, and linoleum, and as a colloid in cosmetics, car polishes, and paints. Organic derivatives of alginates are used as food gums in making ice cream, puddings, and processed cheeses.

Brown algae have been used for centuries as fertilizer and as an ingredient for livestock meal.

In order to stay healthy Giant kelp needs three things:

1. water that is free from metals
2. water that is clear
3. water that is cold (45-55?F)

Off the coasts of the northern pacific we have found the ideal situation for the best quality of our kelp.