The diatoms most people are familiar with tend to be circular, like Coscinodiscus, or distinctly pen- or cigar-shaped, like Navicula. Yet, even more beautiful forms may be found, such as the exquisite, fanlike shapes of Licmophora. Individuals within the genus grow from a common stalk, often attached to algae, rocks, or other substrates. When the organisms are particularly abundant on surfaces, they appear like short, yellow fuzz to the naked eye. It is only under the lens of a microscope that the splendor of the branching, colonial diatoms materializes.