Laminaria

noun

1. Any of various kelps of the genera Laminaria and Saccharina of temperate and arctic waters, used commercially in foodstuffs, dietary supplements, and medicinal products.
2. A small rod formed of dehydrated laminaria tissue, applied to the cervical os to stimulate dilation.
3. A genus of darkspored seaweeds, belonging to the natural order Laminariaceæ, having no definite leaves, but a plain ribless expansion, flat and bladelike (whence the name), which is either simple or cloven.
4. A genus of great seaweeds with long and broad fronds; kelp, or devil's apron. The fronds commonly grow in clusters, and are sometimes from thirty to fifty feet in length. See Illust. of kelp.
5. type genus of the family Laminariaceae: perennial brown kelps