Palmophyllales

The Palmophyllales are a deep-branching order of thalloid green alga, possibly forming a sister group to the Chlorophyta. They survive today in deep waters, where predation pressure is reduced. The group contains the genera Palmophyllum, Verdigellas and Palmoclathrus. The morphology of Palmophyllales is unusual in that they are composed of cells in a gelatinous matrix, so they are multicellular, but not in a conventional way.