Characeae

Characeae
Chara globularis
Scientific classification
(unranked):	Viridiplantae
(unranked):	Charophyta
Class:	Charophyceae
Order:	Charales
Family:	Characeae S.F.Gray
Genera
See text.

Characeae is a family of freshwater green algae in the order Charales, commonly known as stoneworts. They are also known as brittleworts or skunkweed, from the fragility of their lime-encrusted stems, and from the foul odor these produce when stepped on.

In some treatments, the Characeae includes all the living (extant) species of Charales; this circumscription is followed here. In other treatments, the genus Nitellopsis, which has both extant and extinct species, is placed in a separate family, Feistiellaceae.