Algae and Plants
21
Scytonema bohneri Schmidle 1901
Order: Nostocales
Family: Scytonemataceae
Common name: Not available.
Distribution: Throughout the tropical
regions (Komárek et al., 2013).
Habitat: Freshwater habitats; thermal
waters.
Description: Filaments of this species are blackish green, partly creeping, partly ascending. Double false
branching between two heterocysts
and seldom single false branching may
be seen. Trichomes are blue-green to
greenish; cells 6–8.5 µm wide, usually isodiametric, shorter at the apices,
slightly longer than wide in the rest.
Heterocyst is rounded quadrate, or
ellipsoidal, single or many, 7–8.9 µm
wide, up to 16 µm long. Sheaths are
firm, up to 2 µm thick, typically colorless, sometimes yellow, rarely lamellate. It is an edible microbe with a high
food value (SBSAC).
Nutritional Facts
Proximate Composition (% DM)
CHO a
Protein
Amino Acid Lipid
28.5
0.7
3.0
11.0
a Carbohydrate.
Minerals (µg/ml)
Ca
Mn
Fe
Zn
Ni
Mg
43.0 211.5 3367 102.6 11.05 13,190
Source: Data from Rajeshwari and Rajashekhar (2011).