Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Freshwater and marine
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

This branched green alga forms dense, tangled mats in freshwater streams. Its cells switch between two distinct physical forms throughout its life cycle.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Chlorophyta
Class: Ulvophyceae
Order: Cladophorales
Family: Cladophoraceae
Genus: Cladophora