42 



exceptis duobus brevioribus antheridia lateralibsu, postica vix brev- 

 iora. Corona stipularis sursum. et deorsum evoluta, cellulis elonga- 

 tis, seriei siipcrioris articulum foliorum infimum aequantibus. Spo- 

 rangium II — i2-stnatum; coronula brevi, sub-connivente ; nucleo 

 atro, oblongo, 660// long., 375 — 410JJ. lat., striis a latere inconspic- 

 uis (leiopyrena) 9 — 10. 



This very interesting C/iara was collected by Prof. Macoun of 

 the Canadian Pacific Railway Survey, in July, 1879, in the brackish 

 water of the Red-deer Lakes and in ponds west of the Saskatchawan. 



From Ch, crinita^ Wallr., it differs in being monoecious, and in the 

 character of the cortex ; but its general habit is exactly like that of 

 Ch. crinita, Wallr., indeed among the specimens sent by Prof. Macoun 

 are found a few, apparently dioecious, which I am unable to distin- 

 guish in any way from that species. 



In CIu crinita a node of the cortex develops a spine from each of 

 the three external cells, so that the spines are fasciculated in threes. 

 In this species but two of the cells develop spines, the central cell a 

 long spine and one lateral cell a short one, while the other lateral cell 

 remains undeveloped, or prdtrudes in the form of a small '* button," 

 (Fig. 2, a) or elongates somewhat, partially forming a secondary cor- 

 tex-tube. A section of one of these partially developed tubes is 

 shovvn in Fig. 3, a. Another feature of this plant exhibits its close 

 relationship to Ch. crinita, namely, the smaller bracts on each side 

 of the antheridium. In Ch. crinita three small bracts stand in front 

 of the sporangium, the central one of w^hich seems to occupy the place 

 of the antheridium ; in this place the antheridium occupies just the 

 place of the central bract. Chara crinita, developing an antheridium 

 instead of the central bract in front of the sporangium, and a sec- 

 ondary cortex-tube in place of a lateral cortex-spine, would nearly 

 represent Ch. evoluta. 



Another fact of significance is the discovery of an almost identical 

 and similarly intermediate species in Central Asia. Prof. Nordstedt, 

 in a recent letter to the writer, says: ''I have discovered (in 

 Braun's MS.) under Ch. contraria some remarks by Braun concerning 

 Ch, Altaica, Br., ined. ^ This species seems to stand very near your 

 Ch. evoiuta. Braun w^rites : ' This seems to me most nearly related 

 to C//. crinita, from which it is clearly different in being monoecious. 

 The cortication of the leaves is like Ch. crinita, namely, above and 

 below each bract only one cortex-cell, but under the antheridium 

 there seem to be but tw^o cells. On the stem, the cortex is very re- 

 markable; at times the secondary cells are entirely wanting, at times 

 thefe is one, at others there are two, but all are never developed as 

 a section proves. In this respect Ch, Altaica varies between the type 

 of Ch crinita and contraria, and Ch. strigosa and asj>era ; the cells 

 are all very thm as m crinita, while in strigosa they are thick The 

 dorsal bracts of the leaf-nodes are elongated, and all the bracts con- 

 nivent, also a peculiarity of Ch, crinita. Ch. crinita has, but rarely, 

 traces of mtermediate cortex-tubes.'" 



From this description it would seem that the Asiatic species had 

 developed slightly farther than the American. 



The cortication of the leaf of Ch evoiuta presents no marked 



