Diagnostic features
Branched filamentous chlorophyte with large cylindrical cells forming long, regularly branched growths. Cells contain many parietal round chloroplasts, which usually join into a net-like structure. Pyrenoids in the chloroplasts are composed of two halves (bilenticular). Although cross-walls occur at regular intervals, the large cells are always multinucleate. Branches originate by a sideways protrusion of a cell end below the apex, and branching frequency is influenced by the strength of the current.
![[Cladophora], Wairuna River, Otago. Photo: Otago Regional Council & Manaaki Whenua Image](/assets/Tools-And-Resources/Identification/algae/cladophora2__ScaleWidthWzEwMjRd.jpg)
![[Cladophora], X160. Photo: Otago Regional Council & Manaaki Whenua Image](/assets/Tools-And-Resources/Identification/algae/cladophora160__ScaleWidthWzEwMjRd.jpg)
Typical habitats
Common in unshaded waters especially during summer low flow. May be found under a variety of conditions, but reaches problem levels in lakes with a combination of rocky shorelines and high phosphate, and seems more common in warmer streams further north in New Zealand.
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chlorophyta |
| Class | Ulvophyceae |
| Order | Cladophorales |
| Family | Cladophoraceae |
| Common name | Green algae |