Marimo literally means an “algae ball” in Japanese. A marimo is a colony of thread-like algae that naturally takes on a ball-like shape due to the action of water currents in certain lakes. Marimo grows just like any water plant, but once it reaches about a foot in diameter, it falls apart and the whole process starts over.
Today marimo are found not only in Japan, but also in some lakes of Iceland, the USA, Europe, and Australia. Researchers believe that all marimo in other countries originally came from Japan. You can actually buy man-made marimo from Japan and raise them at home.
Since 1952 the marimo from Lake Akan in Hokkaidō have been designated as special natural treasures of Japan because of their almost perfectly round shape, large size and velvet-like surface. However, this is only an illusion; in fact the surface of a marimo is pretty hard and prickly.
