algae

Etymology

noun

1. plural of alga

noun

1. Algal organisms viewed collectively or as a mass; algal growth.
   Algae grows best in shallow water, 3 inches (7.5 cm) deep or less, especially where poor seedbed preparation has created low areas with poor surface drainage, and in fields with inadequate decomposition of organic matter. 1993, Integrated Pest Management for Rice, 2nd Ed., page 54
   Unlike seaweed, which grows in salt water, algae grows in freshwater ponds (chlorella or spirulina) or wild in the Pacific Northwest (Klamath blue green). 2014, Terry Wahls, Eve Adamson, The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine, page 280
2. (countable) A particular kind of algae.
   This hollow, lumpy, yellow-brown algae grows epiphytically in sac-like clumps on large seaweeds and on rocks. 1984, Deborah A. Coulombe, The Seaside Naturalist: A Guide to Study at the Seashore, page 33
   This algae grows relatively quickly, even in temporary ponds and water holes in the desert, so it remained widely known. 1997, Amadeo M. Rea, At the Desert's Green Edge: An Ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima, page 98
   Although often lumped together, spirulina is a blue-green algae whereas chlorella is a green algae. 2006, Andi Brown, The Whole Pet Diet: Eight Weeks to Great Health for Dogs and Cats, page 144