1.

except some freshwater representatives of protosiphonaceae, phyllosiphonaceae

and vaucheriaceae, most of the siphonales are marine. some member are epiphytes
as well as endophytes.
2. marine member are highly encrusted with calcium carbonate and are responsible
for carcareous depositions of seas and oceans.
3. plant body is variously branched, unseptate and multinucleate (coenocytic)
4. struktur of plant body ranges from simple vesicular type ( protosiphon ) to w
ell-developed filamentous type.
5. septum is formed either due to some injury or during the formation of reprodu
ctive bodies.
6. chloroplasts are numerous, small and discoid. they remain arranged on the per
iphery of the thallus.
7. many nuclei are arranged generally in an inner layer.
8. two xanthophylls ( siphonein and siphonoxanthin ), characteristic of siphonal
es, are found.
9. just beneath the bounding wall of the thallus the cytoplasm is present in the
form of a thick layer. this cytoplasmic layer surrounds the characteristic larg
e siphon-like central vacuole. it remains filled with cell sap. because of this
siphon-like vacuole the name "siphonales" is given to order.
10. plants reproduce vegetatively by fragmentation or akinetes, asexually by mul
tiflagellate zoospore or aflagellated aplanospores or hypnospores, and sexually
by oogamous type of reproduction. some forms also exhibit isogamy or anisogamy.