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Glite Dictionary
Conferva

Conferva

1 9.9
An old name for threadlike green algae now placed in other groups
  • noun
  • Archaic
: conferva
  • Early botanists classified many threadlike algae under the genus Conferva.

Examples

  • Samples previously labeled as Conferva have been reassigned to other genera.

  • The name Conferva is now largely obsolete in modern taxonomic literature.

  • The Conferva species were once widely studied in marine biology.

  • Many scientists have classified Conferva under different genera.

  • Early botanists classified many threadlike algae under the genus Conferva.

  • The name Conferva is now largely obsolete in modern taxonomic literature.

  • Samples previously labeled as Conferva have been reassigned to other genera.

Surface Forms

Conferva singular
Confervae plural

Etymology

Conferva comes from a Latin term meaning 'a tangled mass' and uses the prefix con- meaning 'together'. So early botanists used Conferva for many thin, threadlike green algae that grow in mats or tangles, which is why the name fit even though it is now an obsolete group name.