Ulvophyceae
| Ulvophyceae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| diversity of Ulvophyceae | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Clade: | Viridiplantae |
| Division: | Chlorophyta |
| Subphylum: | Chlorophytina |
| Class: | Ulvophyceae Stewart & Mattox, 1978 |
| Orders | |
incertae sedis:
| |
The Ulvophyceae or ulvophytes are a class of green algae, distinguished mainly on the basis of ultrastructural morphology, life cycle and molecular phylogenetic data. The sea lettuce, Ulva, belongs here. Other well-known members include Caulerpa, Codium, Acetabularia, Cladophora, Trentepohlia and Monostroma.
The Ulvophytes are diverse in their morphology and their habitat. Most are seaweeds such as those listed above. Others, such as Rhizoclonium, Pithophora and some species of Cladophora live in fresh water and in some areas are considered weeds.