any member of the genus Porphyra, a group of marine red algae. The thallus, a sheet of cells embedded in a thin gelatinous stratum, varies in colour from deep brown or red to pink; sexual reproductive structures are borne at the margin. Laver grows near the high-water mark of the intertidal zone in both Northern and Southern hemispheres. It grows best in nitrogen-rich water, such as is found near sewage outlets. Laver is harvested, dried, and used as food in greater amounts than any other seaweed. A major food crop, it is cultivated on ropes in extensive inshore fields in East Asia. It is used as a soup base, as a flavouring for other food, and as a covering for rice-filled sushi. On the Welsh and Scottish coasts, it is sometimes grilled on toast (sloke) and is reported to have an oysterlike taste.