Stem: Algae lack true stems. The round, stem-like structure varies from 5 cm to over 1 m in length.

Flower: Algae do not produce flowers. Instead, microscopic one-celled sex organs called oogonia are formed. These tiny organs and patterns in the cases that surround them are used to distinguish between species.

Fruit: Algae do not produce fruits. Tiny spores are produced in fruiting bodies. In some species the fruiting bodies are orange and very conspicuous.

Root: Muskgrasses may be attached to the bottom by root-like structures called holdfasts.

Propagation: Spores carried by water and waterfowl; plant fragments.

Importance of plant: An important food source for waterfowl, particularly ducks. Provides valuable protection for young fish and invertebrates. Muskgrasses grow quickly and occasionally cover the entire bottom of ponds, however its low growth rarely causes it to be considered a nuisance in Washington.

Distribution: Worldwide. More than 30 species in the U.S.

Habitat: Fresh to brackish water, inland and coastal, in both shallow and deep water. Some species found in alkaline lakes and slow-moving streams. Muskgrassses will often grow in deeper water than vascular aquatic plants.

May be confused with: Other plant-like algae: Nitella (Nitella), which have symmetrically forked smooth branchlets, do not have lime coatings, and lack the odor of muskgrasses; and Tolypella spp., which have unsymmetrically forked branches. Slender water-nymph (Najas flexilus) and coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) are vascular plants which have a different leaf structure and do not produce an odor when crushed.

Photographs: Chara sp. plants, closeup of branchlets

Line Drawings: Chara spp.