Batrachospermum, is a genus of freshwater red algae ranging in colour from violet to blue-green. The long, branched, threadlike filaments bear dense whorls of branchlets, resembling beads on a string. Spores are formed in clusters around the base of the carpogonium (female sex organ) after fertilization. The genus is found in streams and in pools in sphagnum bogs. From shore, the Batrachospermum thallus looks almost black.
