Tidepool Tim says,  “Laver is nothing short of incredible in the habitat that it exploits.  Laver tends to grow on rocks in the mid-tide area. This is a miserable place to live as a seaweed - it is very hot and very dry when the tide is out.  Laver is a very spindly and literally dries out against the warm rocks and stones. Remarkably - the plant re-hydrates as the tide flows in and the water is replenished.  No other seaweeds could withstand this sort of punishment. Once the tide is in, this seaweed is further stressed by the impact of huge storm waves and gale force winds. The most curious thing about it is that purple lavers holdfast is the smallest, most unimpressive little fly speck you have ever seen, yet it somehow holds on like spider-man on a mid-town skyscraper!  Laver is almost translucent and also yields some very impressive plant pigments when used in lab chromatography experiments.”