Charophytes

Green algae in the group Charophyta are commonly known as charophytes. They include many freshwater
and terrestrial green algae.
Chara and other stoneworts are among the largest and most structurally complex of the charophytes. Their
main branches have whorls of short lateral branchlets at intervals. They usually grow submerged in mainly
still, fresh or slightly brackish waters.
Charophytes are well known to students of biology. Spirogyra, stoneworts, and
desmids are all members of this fresh-water group of "green algae". The
charophytes have gained even more attention recently because they are now known
to be the most closely related group of organisms to the Plantae. The charophytes
are in fact paraphyletic (Dalam Filogenetika, sekelompok organisme dikatakan parafiletik
jika grup/spesies yang paling baru dari nenek moyang yang sama tetapi tidak mengandung semua
keturunan dari nenek moyang. )with respect to the Plantae -- some members of the group
are more closely related to the plants than to the other charophytes, though there is
still considerable debate as to the exact relationships among the various members.
Unlike the other green algae, the charophytes share with plants
the phragmoplast method of cell division, and the asymmetric arrangement of
their sperm flagella. This latter character is only observable in the Charales and
Coleochaetales, since members of the remaining orders do not produce flagellated
gametes as part of their life cycle.