A genus of microscopic brown algae with simple branching filaments and external spore-producing organs.
From Greek 'ekto-' (outside) and 'karpos' (fruit), literally 'outside fruit,' named for the visible fruiting structures on the outside of these filaments.
Ectocarpus is a genus superstar in marine biology—these tiny brown algae are model organisms used to study everything from reproduction to pollution tolerance, yet most people have never heard of them despite encountering them regularly in tidepools.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.