Chara species are filamentous, mat forming green algae. They can be recognised by their whorls of simple branchlets, general stiffness and/or calcification. Delicate stonewort is monoecious, sometimes dioecious, species that forms dense growth in both hard and soft water lakes, ponds, and rivers, and in brackish ponds, across the US and in western Canada (Wood 1967).. It is smooth in appearance with moderate lime encrustation, but shows considerable ecological and genetic variation (Wood 1967). Three varieties were recognized in North America by Woods (1967): var. virgata (Kutz.) R.D.W.; var. leptosperma (A. Br.). R. D. W.; var. aspera (Deth. ex. Willd.) R. D.W. Proper identification of Chara species is dependent on features of the stem and reproductive structures, and usually requires microscopic work.