Soranthera ulvoidea

True to its common name, studded sea balloons are pale green to olive, ovoid sacs in diameter with small brown bumps on the surface. but in adults they are hollow and pop when squeezed. Thalli are tall. The rhizoids wrap around the thallus of the host, and will penetrate host tissue in structures resembling haustoria. The earliest recognizable sign of the algae are tiny semicircular outgrowths among the stichidia on hosts such as Neorhodomela larix. and other Colpomenia species, especially when young. ==Taxonomy==

William Albert Setchell and Nathan Lyon Gardner describe two forms of the species. however examination of the specimen showed that it is Colpomenia sinuosa and not part of Soranthera. The study also noted that Botrytella micromorus (=Sorocarpus micromorus) is a close sibling taxon, as shown in their maximum likelihood tree of Chordariaceae: }} }} ==Habitat==

Studded sea balloon is found in the North Pacific Ocean on the west coast of North America, up through the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, Commander Islands, and Kuril Islands Although typically found growing as an epiphyte, it also grows on rocks (epilithic) and sand. ==Ecology==

S. ulvoidea grows mainly as an epiphyte. Some of its common hosts include Odonthalia floccosa Methanolic extract of S. ulvoidea has been shown to inhibit Potato virus X (PXV) on lesions of Chenopodium quinoa. ==References==