BULLETIN 



OF THE 



rORREY BOTANICAL CLUB 



Vol. Vlll.l New York, April, 1 88 1 , [No. 4 



/ 



33. Fresh-Water Algae. V. 



By Francis Wolle. 



In making a brief record of the results of another summer among 

 those humble, yet often marvellously beautiful microscopic plants — • 

 the Fresh-Water Algae, I gratefully refer to the valuable aid furnished 

 by a number of contributors, the names of some of whom occur in the 

 list below. Among others, this year, I am especially indebted to F. H. 

 Hosford, assisted by C. G. Pringle, who proved himself an indefati- 

 gable collector, Vermont was never so searched out before. Among 

 the large collections of Capt. J. Donnell Smith in Florida, in 1879, 1 

 was delighted to find a number of Desmids which were overlooked on 

 the first examination. It is gratifying to notice a gradually-awaken- 

 ing interest in this study, for a large field yet remains to be explored. 

 "Every research brings out some new plant, or throws some new light 

 on the life-history of species already known. 



Last year, the literature of this subject received some valuable 

 additions, a passing notice of which will suffice here. N. Wille con- 

 tributed a review of the Chloropliyllaceae of Norway ; a paper on the 

 cell-division of Confervaceae\ and another on a new genus of Algae. 

 Paul Petit, of France, published a paper on the trichogyne of Hil- 

 denbrandtia rividarh^ and an illustrated prodromus of the Spirogyrae 

 of the environs of Paris. Paul Richter published an able paper on 

 the forms and manner of development of the cells of Gloeocystis^ but 

 did not exhaust the subject. In a more recent article he questions the 

 possibility of unicellular Phycochromes changing their generic char- 

 acter. This is of special interest as an endorsement of the more ad- 

 vanced views on the subject. Wittrock and Nordstedt, of Sweden, 

 have issued two more fasciculi (the xyth and i8th) of their ** Exsic- 

 catae," each containing fifty-five specimens of dried Algae beauti- 

 fully arranged, one kind on a page, in book form. 



The plants in the following list are, with few exceptions, new to 

 the recorded Alga-flora of the United States. 



PHYCOCHROMOPHYCEAE. 



SYNECHOCOCCUS, Naeg.— This genus embraces a number of 

 the many forms which probably belong to an intermediate developing 

 condition in the life of fresh-water algae, I add another species, 

 which may have no more claim as a distinct plant than the others. It 

 is a distinct form, however, and until its relations shall be deter- 

 mined it may be recorded as 



SyNECHOCOCCUs RACEMosus, n. sp, — S. amorpho aeruginoso; cel- 

 lulis minutissimis saepius regulariterperpendicularedensis aggregatis, 

 oblongo-cylindriceis utroque polo rotundato, diametro {,00008") du- 

 plo, triplo, raro quadruplo longioribus; cytioplasmate homogeneo 

 laete aeruginoso. Hab. Glass sides of aquarium. 



