328 A TEXTBOOK OF GENERAL BOTANY 
zoospores and spermatozoids of Oedogoniwm have a circle of cilia, 
and that the cells have a peculiar method of division, this genus 
does not seem to be closely related to such plants as Ulothriz. 
CHARA 
Structure. Chara is a highly developed green alga which is 
common in fresh water. It belongs to the order Charales. 
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Fig. 336. A branch of Chara bearing a large oval odgonium; below this is 
a rounded antheridium. (x 45) 
The vegetative portion of Chara consists of a much-branched 
thallus (Fig. 335) which is anchored to the substratum by 
branched filaments known as rhizoids. The growth in length 
of Chara is due to a single apical cell (Fig. 335). The branches 
are of two kinds: long ones of indeterminate growth and short 
ones of limited growth. The long branches consist of long inter- 
nodes and short nodes. The internode is composed of a large 
cell surrounded by a single layer of smaller cells called cortical 
