Is Kelp Plant Leaf?

Kelp is a rudimentary plant growing in the shallow sea. Its lower part splits into false roots and at the end of the roots there are suckers that fix the kelp onto rocks at the sea bottom. These false roots, do not absorb water or nutrients. At the top of the roots a little stem sticks out on which grows a flat and wide blade like a leaf. The blade is thick in the middle and fairly thin at its edge. Scientists believe that it is not really a leaf but a leaf-like substance. The blade contains chlorophyll ,aid a large amount of phycoxanthin, which enables it to produce nutrients at the bottom of sea where there is little or no sunshine. The kelp looks dark brown due to the physcoan- thin.