spirogyra; pond scum algae
Refers to filamentous green algae of the genus Spirogyra, commonly seen as slimy green masses in freshwater.
A large amount of spirogyra is growing in the pond.
Under a microscope, the spiral chloroplasts of spirogyra are beautiful.
Katakana spelling is common for this organism name; usually written in kana.
Kanji-kana mixed spelling; rarely used.
Hiragana spelling, also used.
Kanji spelling; rarely used. Literally 'water cotton'.
Ateji spelling; very rare.
Kanji spelling; can be confused with 青緑 (あおみどり, 'blue-green').
The name アオミドロ likely derives from 青 (あお, 'green') + みどろ, possibly from 水 (みず, 'water') + どろ (泥, 'mud'), referring to its appearance as green slime in water. The exact derivation is uncertain.