CHLOROPHYTA : Prasiolales : PrasiolaceaeGREEN ALGAE

Prasiola crispa (Lightfoot) Kützing


Description: Thallus small, 1 - 6 cms long, monostromic, generally rounded in shape and without a stipe, free-living or attached to a surface by rhizoids or the edge of the frond. Cells in groups in transverse and longitudinal rows.

Habitat: Uncommon. Above high water and inland on other surfaces, damp soil, roofs, old walls and tree trunks etc.

Distribution: British Isles: widely distributed inland as well as on the coast, though not frequently recorded. World wide.

Similar Species: Other species of Prasiola.

Key Identification Features:

  • Monostromatic, small.

Distribution Map from NBN: Prasiola crispa at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Prasiola crispa at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Prasiola crispa at World Register of Marine Species.

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 Morton, O., Keatley, L., Morrow, C.C. & Picton, B.E. (2026). Prasiola crispa. (Lightfoot) Kützing. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
https://habitas.org/mbdp/species.php?item=ZS2885. Accessed on 2026-11-01