[2] It is commonly found in freshwater habitats all over the world,[3] although some species are rare and have only been recorded from Europe or the United States.

[4] The genus name of Lagerheimia is in honour of Nils Gustaf Lagerheim (1860–1926), who was a Swedish botanist, mycologist, phycologist, and pteridologist.

[5] The genus was circumscribed by Giovanni Battista De Toni and Robert Hippolyte Chodat in Nuova Notarisia vol.6 on page 86-90 in 1895.

[4] Species with tubercles at the base of their spines have been classified in a separate genus, called Chodatella; however, modern authors do not recognize this split.

The cell wall ultrastructure of Lagerheimia subsalsa is similar to that of some species of Oocystis, and consists of several layers of microfibrils.