''Ilsteria'' is a genus of

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

from the

yellow-green algae Yellow-green algae or the Xanthophyceae (xanthophytes) are an important group of heterokont algae. Most live in fresh water, but some are found in marine and soil habitats. They vary from single-celled flagellates to simple colonial and filamento ...

class. It is a colonial organism, generally consisting of four or – sometimes – two cells. This genus is named after a Latvian botanist, teacher and poet Jānis Ilsters (1851–1889).

Species

There are four currently recognized species of algae in the genus ''Ilsteria'' that are distinguished based on cell dimensions and the morphology and number of

chloroplasts A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. The photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight, converts it, ...

, which can be either single or ranging from four to twelve in a single algae cell.

References

Heterokont genera Xanthophyceae Taxa described in 1938 {{Heterokont-stub