Cyanophyceae

Cyanophyceae, or Phycochromaceae, a group of Algae, sometimes separated with the Schizomycetes under the name Schizophyta (q.v.), of a bluish or verdigris green colour from the admixture of phycocyan and chlorophyll. They are unicellular, or form chains of cells, or colonies embedded in mucilage; but no nucleus is known in the cells, nor any form of sexual propagation. They multiply by cell division, by resting cells, or by hormogonia, or motile portions of cell filaments. They live in freshwater, in damp places, or as endophytes in higher plants, such as Hepaticae, Sphagnum, and Azolla. They are divided into two groups - the Chrooceccaceae, including such forms as Gloeocapsa, which are mostly in gelatinous colonies formed by the swelling up of parent cell-walls; and the Nostocaceae (q.v.), in which the cells are united into filaments.