The scientific class name for green algae, photosynthetic organisms that contain chlorophyll and live primarily in freshwater.
From chloro- (green, referring to chlorophyll) plus -phyceae (from Greek phykos, seaweed, plus -ae for class plural). Established in 19th-century taxonomy for algal classification.
Green algae are ancient survivors that first figured out how to photosynthesize in water—they're more closely related to land plants than to other algae, so when plants eventually conquered land, they were basically exporting green algae technology to dry environments.
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