Prasiola is a genus of macroscopic green algae, found in a variety of habitats ranging from terrestrial, freshwater, to marine. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, ranging from the Arctic to the Antarctic.

Plants belonging to the genus Prasiola were first described by John Lightfoot in 1777 in his series Flora Scotica, as the name Ulva crispa. In 1838, Giuseppe Giovanni Antonio Meneghini circumscribed the genus.

Species of Prasiola are edible and are often harvested for food, particularly Prasiola japonica, in countries such as Japan and Myanmar.

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