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Re:Great balls of Cladophora aegagrophila
Robert H wrote:
>Someone else told me in Asia they [cladophora balls] are collector rarity
>oddities. Prize possestions. Go figure.
Do a google search for "cladophora" and "festival" and you'll get a
suprising number of hits! There's a cladophora festival in Japan. Here's
what one website had to say:
"In Japan, Aegagropila enjoy somewhat of a "cult" following. A certain lake
in Hokkaido is known to form especially perfect Cladophora balls, which the
local "Aidic" people involve in their summer festival. A folktale
accompanies the dense green spheres, in which the hearts of a young couple
who drown in the lake turn into Cladophora balls. Aegagropila's popularity
in Japan has even spread to more urban areas. Tokyo has a bar named
"Marimba," the Japanese word for the balls, which sells plastic souvenirs in
the the shape of the popular alga. In recent years, aegagropilous Cladophora
has even become a protected species in Japan, and a Cladophora ball postage
stamp has been issued."
http://www.mbari.org/~conn/botany/greens/angie/CULTURE.HTM
Cool, huh?
Notice also that I've refrained from make any "balls" joke. I win!!
Chin See Ming
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