Family Description:
In this family, the sporophyte is a monostromatic (one cell thick) blade or tube that releases quadriflagellate zoospores (zoospores with four flagella each). This phase alternates with a microscopic crustose gametophyte, which produces biflagellate isogametes. After gamete fusion, zygotes develop into a saccate phase from upheaval of the basal crust. The sac ruptures to form blades as in Kornmannia, or it can remain tubular, as in Blidingia. Both phases can recycle themselves asexually under certain environmental conditions (that is, they can release spores that settle and develop into new individuals of the same phase). Cells are small, and pyrenoids, although present, might not be visible because they lack an associated sheath of starch, which is what usually makes the pyrenoid appear shiny.

Species description:
Dwarf Sea Hair has an encrusting, discoidal cushion that grows on rocks, on pieces of old driftwood, epiphytically or epizoically. From this flattened base, clusters of erect, cylindrical to flattened blades arise. These blades lack rhizoids. In our area, the blades are mostly unbranched, but sometimes sparse branching can occur. Within the blades, the cells are very small. Each cell contains a single, peripheral chloroplast that has a single pyrenoid.

This genus of algae was named after Carl Bliding, a Swedish phycologist who published in the 1960's.

Source:  North Pacific Seaweeds

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Enteromorpha minima
Enteromorpha nana