115 



be the reason why all the tops are blunt? I don't know and I 

 should want more specimens to judge the species well. As mat- 

 ters stands my type specimen differs from the specimen you sent 

 me," And M me WEBER adds that she thinks that the West 

 Indian plant is very much like Gdidium corneum to which spe- 

 cies I also think it may rightly be referred. 



As mentioned above my specimens (Fig. 124) agree well with 

 TURNER'S figure of his var. g. pinnata yet they are somewhat 

 smaller and often only bipinnate. The West Indian specimens 

 too are very similar to a specimen of Gelidium corneum from 

 Ceylon distributed by 

 HARVEY ("Ceylon Algae", 

 No. 31). 



The specimens found 

 are about 5 cm high. The 

 thallus is flat, reaching a 

 breadth of about 2 mm, 

 seldom more. The apices 

 are blunt with a somewhat 

 sunken growing point. The 

 thaJlus is mostly bipin- 

 nate, seldom tripinnate and 

 the ramification upon the 

 whole is rather irregular 

 and parts of the thallus 

 are often destitute of 

 branches. 



A transverse section 

 agrees with the description 



of HAUFE 1 ). The tissue consists of a medullary layer and a cor- 

 tical layer. The former consists of rather long cylindric colour- 

 less cells. The cortical layer, on the other hand, is composed of a 

 few layers of red-coloured, short cells, radially arranged round the 

 periphery of the thallus. Between the cells of the medullary 

 layer the hypha?-like filaments characteristic of Gelidium are found 

 in abundance. 



The material was sterile. 



This species has been found only in the more sheltered 

 places. 



Fig. 124. Gelidium corneum (Huds.) La- 

 mour. Habit of the plant. (About 2:1). 



1 ) HAUFE, Fr. E., Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Anatomie und theilweise der 

 Morphologie einiger Florideen. Inaugural-Dissertation. Gb'rlitz 1879. 



8* 



