found it being boiled and given to the cows on Skye to clear up their spring-
time costiveness.^56
GREEN ALGAE
Ulva lactuca Linnaeus
sea lettuce, green laver
northern and southern Atlantic, northern Pacific
Enteromorpha Link
northern Atlantic, Arctic, northern Pacific
Cladophora Kützing
cosmopolitan
(Identification dubious) A kind of seaweed known aslinarichand described
as ‘a very thin small green plant, about 8–12 inches long’, growing on stones,
shells or bare sand, was noted by Martin Martin in 1695 in use on the
Hebridean islands of Skye and Lingay for healing the wounds made by a blis-
tering plaster, for ‘drawing up’ the tonsils and for poulticing the temples and
forehead, to dry up a runny nose, ease migraine or induce sleep in cases of
fever.^57 Afewyears later Lightfoot attributed toUlva lactucaapoulticing func-
tion in the ‘Western Isles’ in the words used by Martin oflinarich,strongly
suggestive of an unacknowledged repeat of the latter’s information.^58 It is pos-
sible that Lightfoot did personally seeU.lactucabeing applied in this manner
and thus solved the identity oflinarich;other authors, however, have thought
some species ofEnteromorpha or Cladophora best fits Martin’s description.
‘Sea lettuce’ described by the informant as variously green, brown and
dark red in colour—which could apply only in part to Ulva lactuca,even if
the name were correctly applied—has been stewed in sea-water on the Essex
coast and the resulting liquid used to ease the pain of bunions and arthritis in
the feet.^59
BROWN ALGAE
Fucus vesiculosus Linnaeus
bladder wrack, lady wrack, button seaweed, sea-wrack,
bubbling wrack
northern Atlantic, Arctic
The jelly-like mucilage contained in the swollen vesicles (or pneumatocysts)
ofFucus vesiculosus is an age-old embrocation in coastal areas for rheuma-
46 Porphyra umbilicalis