Except for a few colorless forms like Chilomonas[?], most cryptomonads contain a chloroplast. Instead of being contained directly, though, there is a reduced eukaryote symbiotic within the cell, which contains a normal prokaryote chloroplast. In total, then, the chloroplast is bound by four membranes with a tiny nucleus (nucleomorph[?]) contained between the middle two. It typically has chlorophylls a and c, much like the dinoflagellates (with which the cryptomonads were formerly grouped) and stramenopiles.
A few cryptomonads have reached a palmelloid stage of organization, but the vast majority are free-living flagellates, and are common in nutrient rich water. Well-known examples include Cryptomonas[?] and Chilomonas[?].
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