Plocamium violaceum accumulated dihomo-c-linolenic acid (20:3n-6) at 4.5 % of the total FAs, a level which far exceeds the content (less than 2.0 %) found in all the other red algal species examined (Jamieson and Reid 1972, Ackman 1981, Khotimchenko and Vaskovsky 1990, Fleurence et al. 1994).