See text Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts.

The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera accepts a further three extinct families:[3] Body fossils of representatives of the order Charales do exist, but are rare.

It may be noted that the gyrogonites are studied by palaeontologists, but not often destroyed (using acids) during neontological research to liberate the oospores.

[8] The oldest known representative of the Charales is Eochara wickendenii Choquette from the Middle Devonian.

[9] The family Characeae starts dominating the fossil assemblages in the Paleogene or perhaps already in the Late Cretaceous.