Fine structure in the red algae III. A general survey of cell-wall structure in the red algae

Abstract

A general survey of cell-wall structure in the red algae has been carried out using the methods of X-ray diffraction analysis and electron microscopy. The fifteen species all show a similar wall structure consisting of numerous lamellae each of which is made up of random microfibrils embedded in an amorphous matrix. The X-ray diagrams obtained from several species are complicated by the existence of crystalline floridean starch, but nevertheless reveal the absence of cellulose I.