: OP THE CYSTOCABPS OF CATENELLA OPUNTIA. 69 



found; that Sir J. E. Smith considered the smaller joints of the 

 internal filaments to be reproductive in function ; lastly, that 

 D&wson Turner observed minute black bodies on the frond which 

 he believed to represent a fructification. Turner, however, merely 

 quotes Groodenough and Wood ward's observation^, adding "a 

 circumstance I have never had the opportunity of remarking " *. 

 None of these appearances Grreville considered to be of the nature 

 ot true fructifications. 



Harvey t says that the species is rarely found in fruit, but 

 that cystocarps had been given to him by Mrs. Griffiths. He 

 describes them in the following terms : — " Fructification : 1, 

 spherical masses of spores ovfavellidce contained in ovate cap- 

 sules, furnished with a terminal pore, their walls formed of moni- 

 liform filaments. The mass of spores appears to be formed by 

 a transformation of the internal network." Harvey* figures a 

 cystocarp in longitudinal section, showing an ovate capsule with 

 a well-marked terminal pore, an intracapsular space, and a sphe- 

 rical mass of carpospores. In fact, his figure closely resembles 

 that of a cj-stocarp of a Polysiphonia, from which, as will be 

 shown, the cystocarp differs as widely as possible. 



The figure given by Crouan J is equally wide of the mark in 

 detail, though a terminal pore is not figured. 



J. Gr. Agardh § describes the cystocarps of the genus Catenella 

 as being immersed in branches, but doubts their having open 

 terminal pores. He describes their structure in the following 

 terms : — " .... nucleum ad fila longitudinalia suspensum sub- 

 compositum foventia ; nucleus placeutari adparatu centrali sub- 

 divisus, fasciculos filorum praegnantium, peripheriam versus 

 radiantes sterilibus filiis a placenta ad fila peripheric* eitensii 

 interceptos emittens ; gemmidia in filis radiantibus paucn oblougo- 

 obovata." Agardh adds that his personal acquaintance with 

 the cystocarps of Catenella Opuntia was confined to one small 

 specimen. 



Hauck || cautiously avoids reference to the fruit as described 

 by earlier observers, and says : — " Cystocarpien bei C. Opuntia 

 nicht geniigend bekannt." 



* ' Synop. Brit. Pari/ 1802, p. 388. 

 t ' Phycologia Britannia*/ pi. lxxxriii. 

 X ' Florule Finist.' tab. 16. fig. 108. 

 § ■ Epicriftis System. Florid/ p. 5titi. 

 | ' Meeresalgen/ p, 186. 



