Sargassum that also can mean all seaweed species washed up on shore. "Sargassum" species are found throughout tropical areas of the world and are often the most obvious macrophyte in near-shore areas where "Sargassum" beds often occur near coral reefs. The plants grow subtidally and attach to coral, rocks, or shells in moderately exposed or sheltered rocky or pebble areas. These tropical populations often undergo seasonal cycles of growth and decay in concert with seasonal changes in sea temperature. In tropical "Sargassum" species that are often preferentially consumed by herbivorous fishes and echinoids, a relatively low level of phenolics and tannins
Mary Harriet Bate retains 361 of her plant specimens and the collection includes the rare shrub "Myoporum bateae" and the moss "Bryum bateae" named for her. Also there are the moss "Bryum viridulum" as well as the basidiomycete "Trametes heteromalla" , the alga "Sargassum laevigatum" and the tree "Eucalyptus bosistoana". All these were type specimens for the respective species which she collected. Her algal specimens were identified by Jacob Agardh, the fungal specimens by Mordecai Cooke and the bryophytes by Carl Müller. Bate was only one of Mueller's at least 220 female collectors, although she was one of the more prolific of them.