COLLECTED IN CEYLON. 99 
quaternary rays. The dactyls are usually rather long and are uniformly 
2-celled, the penultimate cell acuminate truncate, the ultimate cell very 
sharp-pointed, e. 110 u long, 40 p broad at base. The first furcation of the 
branchlets sterile with a central ray ; gametangia produced at the second and 
often at the third furcation. Oogonia c. 400 p long (excl. coronula), 300 u 
broad ; coronula c. 33 p high, 50 a broad. Oospore golden to dark brown, 
e. 250 a long, 225 a broad, 150 x thick, with 7-8 fine, well-marked but not 
flanged ridges ; membrane imperfectly reticulate with about 6 large meshes 
between the ridges.  Antheridium ec. 250-275 a in diameter. 
A curious point of nomenclature arises in connexion with this species. 
Braun first published the name N. pseudo-flabellata in 1866, in ‘ Die 
Preussische Expedition Ost-Asien,’ p. 143, but without any description, and 
I cannot find that the species was described until 1882 (in Braun & Nordstedt's 
‘ Fragmente? In the meanwhile Dr. Nordstedt in 1880 (Act. Univ. 
Lund, xvi. Iv. p. 16) described a forma mucosa of N. pseudo-flabellata (see 
p. 100). Some strict nomenclaturists may contend that, being the first 
described the forma mucosa is the type of the species, although it is quite 
clear that it was Nordstedt's intention when describing it to differentiate it 
from what he regarded as the type, ?. e. a plant without mucus surrounding 
the fertile heads. 
Dr. Nordstedt describes the oospore-membrane of the Chinese and Javanese 
N. pseudo-flabellata as “ etwas schwammig.” Dr. Allen refers to that of the 
former as felted, but includes as varieties of the species one plant having 
the oospore-membrane faintly granulate and another having it perfectly 
smooth. If, as seems probable, the decoration of the membrane is a reliable 
character, it may be necessary to separate this into several species. 
NITELLA LEPTODACTYLA, sp. nov. (Pl. 6.) 
Section (Braun & Nordstedt) :—Diarthrodactylæ, homæophyllæ, monoicæ, 
macrodactylee, flabellatæ, gymnocarpæ. 
Moneecia. Caulis tenuis, diametro, c. 275 p N internodia ramulorum longi- 
tudinem bis-quinquies superantes. Verticilli homomorphi, diametro c. 18- 
25 mm. Ramuli 6-7, 2—4-furcati, longitudine radiorum gradatim minuente ; 
radius primarius c. 150 y crassus, ramuli totam longitudinem dimidio æquans 
vel superans; radii secundarii vulgo 7 ; tertiarii 4-5, quorum vulgo nonnulli 
simplices sunt; quaternarii 3-5; interdum quaternarii nonnulli denuo 
furcati, radibus quinaribus 3-5. Dactyli ramulorum plene evolutorum 
valde elongati recti plus minusve rigidi, semper 2-cellulati ; cellula inferior, 
pæne totam longitudinem crassitudine æquabile, extremitate distale rotundata 
leviter fastigata ; cellula ultima anguste conica, longitudine (> 90,4) 
diametrumad basem sæpe quinquies superante, vers ısapicem acutum fastigata. 
Oogonia et antheridia ad furcationes secundæ terti» et quarte (haud ad 
H2 
