Charales

Stoneworts
Chara globularis
Scientific classification
(unranked):	Viridiplantae
(unranked):	Charophyta
Class:	Charophyceae
Order:	Charales
Families[1]
See text.

Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts. Depending on the treatment of the genus Nitellopsis, living (extant) species are placed into either one family (Characeae) or two (Characeae and Feistiellaceae). Further families are used for fossil members of the order. Linnaeus established the genus Chara in 1753.