Gracilaria species grow in tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean, West Africa and southern Europe. These locations offer warm temperatures, high solar radiation and nutrient-rich water.

Gracilaria algae usually appear in colours ranging from reddish brown to dark red, sometimes with greenish or purple hues. They have a cylindrical, branched thallus with flexible, rubbery shoots. Depending on the species, they can grow to lengths of 10 to 50 cm. They grow either free-floating or attached to the sea floor, preferably in calm, shallow water.

Many coastal dwellers in the East Caribbean islands from Grenada to Puerto Rico have a small algae field in the tidal zone. It is also harvested in the wild. The harvest is dried in the sun.