Chaetosphaeridium globosum is a one-celled alga which is thought to represent an ancient lineage of the green plants.

The flagellum is covered in scales in a 3-prong irregular shape called ‘maple leafs’.

[3] Researchers have found that the mitochondrial DNA of Chaetosphaeridium is markedly different from that of land plants, suggesting that the mitochondria of land plants evolved significantly after the common ancestor between them and living green algae.

[4] A very slight similarity exists between liverwort mtDNA and Chaetosphaeridium.

The chloroplast DNA is markedly similar, however, indicating that a close relationship had existed between the Viridiplantae and the clade that includes Chaetosphaeridium.