Charnia is a frond-like Precambrian fossil with segmented ridges branching alternately to the right and left from a zig-zag medial suture. It strongly resembles a chestnut leaf. There is one species, Charnia masoni. It was originally interpreted as an alga (Ford) or a sea pen (Glaessner). One modern interpretation is that it is a Vendazoan built with unipolar iterations of one cell family.
Charnia is one of the most widespread Ediacaran fossils. It has been reported from a number of localities worldwide including England's Charnwood Forest, Newfoundland, Iran, Olenek, South Australia, and the White Sea Coast of Russia.
