| Division | Rhodophyta |
| Class | Florideophyceae |
| Order | Gigartinales |
| Family | Gigartinales |
Thallus caespitose, terete, repeatedly and regularly branched in a dichotomous fashion 14 cm or more in height; lower portions of axes about 1- 1.5mm in diameter, median portions about 2mm in width, the terminal portions gradually tapering to rather acute tips. In transverse section showing a thick cuticle covering an epidermal layer of small uniform cells, the cortex clearly differentiated into an outer and inner region; cells of the former small and oblong, about 12 μm in diameter, passing evenly into a colourless parenchymatous inner cortex with cells having an average diameter of 50-60 μm. The medullary filaments together form a rather thick central strand, about 330 μm in width and composed of numerous thick- walled individual filaments, 10 15 μm in diameter.
Ecology
Lithophytic, occurs on Intertidal rocks and coralline stones.
Distribution in India
Tamil Nadu (Untawale et al., 1983); different parts of Indian Coast (Silva et al., 1996).