(Ulva), a genus of green algae usually found growing on rocky shores of seas and oceans. Some species also grow in brackish water rich in organic matter or sewage. The thallus, which somewhat resembles a lettuce leaf, is a sheet of cells up to 30 cm (12 inches) long and two cells thick and is embedded in a tough gelatinous sheath. The life cycle consists of alternation of similar spore-producing (diploid) and gamete-producing (haploid) generations. Asexual reproduction is either by accidental fragmentation or by gametes that act like motile spores.