Struvea
Struvea is a genus of green macroalgae (or seaweed) in the family Boodleaceae. Taxonomy and Nomenclature This genus was founded by Otto Wilhelm Sonder in 1845 and was named in honor of the Russian ambassador H. de Struve. Initially, the genus name was in conflict with Struvea Reichenbach, a heterotypic synonym of Torreya Arnott but P.C. Silva formally conserved Struvea Sonder in 1952 to prevent further taxonomic problems. Currently, there is only four confirmed species for this genus. This low species number was due to the segregation of Phyllodictyon from Struvea sensu lato based on differences in cell division processes and later on supported by molecular data. The Struvea plumosa sample collected by Ludwig Preiss from western Australia was described by Sonder and now serves as the holotype species for this genus. The voucher specimen for the type species is housed at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (MEL). Morphology The thallus of Struvea is composed of a single to numerous (clumped) blades borne from a monosiphonous or aseptate stipe (i.e., stipitate in nature); moreover, the blades form a stellate or criss-cross network of 2–3 ranks of distichously-arranged pinnae (laterals) lying on one plane. Members of this genus exhibit one of