i66 Dr. Go ode no ugh mid Mr. Woodward'; Obfervaiiom en 



— Rami ramulique procefTubus fub lente foliaceis notabiles — Sub* 

 Jl.,ntia fub-membranacea — Color fanguineus — Altiiudo 3 — 6uncialis. 



Mr. Light foot has given fuch an admirable defcription of this 

 Fucus, that it is needlefs to add to it. 



He mentions that it has no rib or nerve ; but it is no uncommon 

 thing to find plants in their advanced date with a manifefl appear- 

 ance of a nerve running up the centre of the larger or thicker 

 branches. 



Its proliferous production of new branches diftinguifhes it at nrfl 

 fight from every other Fucus, which has the lean: affinity to it. 



The nerve which we have fpoken of as viable in the branches, 

 is difcovered by holding the plant before a very ftrong light. In- 

 deed this is the belt mode of examining Fuel in general : the fructi- 

 fication and original colour of any plant, be it to outward appear- 

 ance from drying what it will, are molt furely detected by this 

 method. When a plant has been once bleached by its expofure 

 to wind and weather, no art can reftore its colour ordifcover it. 



As we are certain that this is the F. rubem of Linnaeus, the names 

 of Mr. Hudibn and Mr. Lightfoot are necenarily fuperfeded. 



It is a matter of curious enquiry, whether the proliferous tend- 

 ency of this plant be its natural growth, or whether it be its na- 

 tural power of repairing any injury (to which its tender and brittle 

 quality expofes it at all times) which it may have received. We 

 have found entire plants bearing no proliferous divifion at all. 



What appear to be tubercles upon this plant are in reality rudi- 

 ments of branches. Our fpecimens do not enable us to pronounce 

 whether they produce feeds, or whether they are calculated to 

 feparate from their parent plant, and thus taking root, to carry 

 on the progeny. 



35. Fucus 



