Members of the genus Laminaria are often better known as kelps, large brown seaweeds belonging to the order Laminariales. Superficially kelps appear similar to plants: they possess leaf-like structures called fronds, long, narrow stipes similar in shape to stems, and branching root-like structures called holdfasts. Despite their resemblance in form, however, kelps are algae and their structures differ in several important ways from those of plants. Most notably, the stipes of kelps are flexible and rubbery so they can withstand the turbulence created by waves and do not transport nutrients or water to the fronds. Likewise, the holdfasts of the algae do not provide mineral or water uptake, but function only in anchoring kelps to the sea floor or to other surfaces. Kelps do not produce flowers or seeds and reproduce through alternating asexual and sexual generations.