302 Allen : Three new Charas from California 



but even when deveolped it is very slender and rarely reaches half 

 the length of its better developed fellow. In the upper, younger 

 portion of the stem the cortex tubes are sometimes quite imper- 

 fectly developed and very decided spaces may result, which are 

 not filled by a secondary cortex-system ;• nor does any secondary 

 cortex system attempt to develop ; but elongated open spaces are 

 left between the primary cortex-cells which are not contiguous ; 

 the spines are also imperfectly developed and simulate the stipular 

 cells. The stipules are double ; the upper cell much longer than 

 the lower, often exceeding the first (lowest) segment of the leaf. 

 The stipules are in appearance quite similar to the spines of the 

 stems and the bracts of the foliae. The leaves (foliae) arise from 

 the nodes of the stem in whorls of about 10, subtended by stip- 

 ules which are double ; one cell extending upward, usually longer 

 than the basal node of the leaf; the lower stipular cell rather less 

 than half the length of the upper ; extending downward but not 

 appressed against the stem. A leaf generally bears 5 or 6 nodes, 

 of which 2 or 3 are fertile. The leaves are short and connivent, 

 not at all spreading ; they bear fruit abundantly. In some very 

 hairy specimens the whorls of leaves seem scarcely longer than the 

 hairs of the stem. In the older stems the verticils become remote ; 

 the internodes often 1 5-20 mm. ; in younger internodes the 

 whorls of short leaves almost touch, and the plant appears moni- 

 liform. The bracts at the nodes of the leaf are verticillate, the 

 posterior being very little shorter than the anterior ; usually 8 bracts 

 develop at each node ; the anterior decidedly longer than the 

 oosporangium. All bracts are linear in shape, resembling the 

 spines of the stem. The leaves are singly corticated and termi- 

 nate in a "tuft" of nodal bracts generally 4 in number. The 

 plant is monoecious, fruiting very freely. The antheridia mature 

 while the oospores are still very young, and so far noticed only on 

 quite immature leaves : they are about 30 ft in diameter. The 

 oogonia are very frequently paired on the first and second nodes 

 of the leaf, subtended by linear bracts which are much longer than 

 the entire oogonium and coronula. 



The coronula is composed of closely-connivent, square-shaped 

 cells ; the whole coronula about 24 fi high by 36 /i broad. The 

 entire oogonium (without the coronula) averaging 2 mm. in height 

 by 0.8 mm. broad; the oospore is black, long and narrow, 650 

 [x long, 260 fi broad, with 14 or 15 striae, ridges not prominent. 



The nearest allies, systematically, are doubtless C. crinita 



Wallr., C. altaica A. Br. and C. evolnta Allen ; the former Asiatic, 



the latter American (northwestern); like these, this plant is singly 



corticated (stem and leaves), with a tendency to irregularity in the 



