Chara (Muskgrass; Stonewort) Missouri Department of Conservation

These aquatic algae look like regular vascular plants because they form stemlike, leaflike, and rootlike structures. Chara (pronounced care-uh or karr-uh) is gray green, with a crisp, gritty texture, a musky or garlicky odor, and whorls of needlelike structures that resemble leaves. The tiny dark balls that form on the whorls of plant are sporangia, which are spore-forming, reproductive structures. Removed from water, chara becomes grayish or white once it dries.

Filamentous Green Algae (Pond Scum)

Weed ID Guide // University of Missouri

PPT - Some Common Algae and Aquatic Weeds of Canada and U.S.

Aquatic Weed Control (Identification) - Kentucky Pesticide Safety

Nuisance Aquatic Plant ID Missouri Department of Conservation

Muskgrass (Chara) - AquaPlant: Management of Pond Plants & Algae

Missouri Dept of Conservation (@moconservation) • Instagram photos

AK Aquatic Plants - Alaska Region, US Fish and Wildlife Service

PPT - Some Common Algae and Aquatic Weeds of Canada and U.S.

PDF) Realized niche shift associated with the Eurasian charophyte