Is nori a plant? The latest answer is here
Nori is not a plant, but rather a general term for certain mutually beneficial algae in the sea. There are very many species, the common ones being Porphyra yezoensis, Porphyra haitanensis, Porphyra tenera, etc. Artificial cultivation has already been carried out in China's coastal areas. At the beginning of the 21st century, China's nori production jumped to first place in the world. It is rich in protein and iodine, phosphorus, calcium, etc., and is used for food and medicine. It has the effects of resolving phlegm and softening hardness, clearing heat and promoting diuresis, and tonifying the kidney and nourishing the heart.
Because nori can carry out photosynthesis, it is often mistaken for a plant, but biologists generally believe that it is not a true plant, because it has no true vascular tissue (xylem and phloem), unlike water grass. In addition, several kinds of cyanobacteria are related to seaweed. Large seaweed mostly grows in cold regions, and the artificially cultivated species include Porphyra yezoensis and Porphyra haitanensis.
Nori has a simple shape and is composed of 3 parts: a discoid holdfast, a stipe, and a blade. The blade is a single or branched membranous body made up of 1 layer of cells (a few species are made up of 2 or 3 layers), and its body length varies with the species, ranging from several cm to several m. It contains pigments such as chlorophyll and carotene, xanthophyll, phycoerythrin, and phycocyanin. Because of differences in their proportional content, different species of nori appear purple-red, blue-green, brown-red, brown-green, etc., but most are purple, and nori gets its name from this.
The blade-like thallus of nori mostly grows in the intertidal zone. It likes sea areas with strong wind and waves, unobstructed tidal flow, and rich nutrient salts. It has strong drought resistance. The suitable light intensity is 5000-6000 lux. It has the characteristics of a high light saturation point and a low light compensation point. It is a high-yield crop. In China, Porphyra haitanensis is mostly cultivated along the coast of Fujian and southern Zhejiang, while in the north, Porphyra yezoensis is mainly cultivated.
Nori is rich in nutrition. Its protein content exceeds that of kelp, and it also contains relatively large amounts of carotene and riboflavin. Every 100 grams of dried nori contains 24-28 grams of protein, 0.9 grams of fat, 31-50 grams of carbohydrates, 330 milligrams of calcium, 440 milligrams of phosphorus, 32 milligrams of iron, 1.23 milligrams of carotene, 2.07 milligrams of riboflavin, 5.1 milligrams of nicotinic acid, 3.4 grams of alanine, 3.2 grams of glutamic acid, 2.4 grams of glycine, 2.6 grams of leucine, and 1.4 grams of isoleucine. Its content of protein, iron, phosphorus, calcium, riboflavin, carotene, etc. ranks first among all kinds of vegetables, so nori also has the reputation of being a “treasure house of nutrition.”