Till Alg. Syst. VI, p. 71 ; De Toni Syll. Alg. Ill, p. 433. Clado- 

 siplion Chordaria Harv. Phyc. Austr. tab. 60. 



Root a small scutate disc. Fronds tufted. 20-40 cm hi^h. 



* *^ * 



0.5-1.5 mm. or more in diameter, filiform when young-, becoming 

 thicker and cylindrical when old. Branches arise laterally on all 

 sides at lower portion of frond, but upward dissolve more deliques- 

 cently and irregularly in dichotomo-alternate manner at longer or 

 shorter intervals, with some scattered lateral segments, either 

 bare of ramuli or with some of them, especially in younger fronds. 

 Branches and branchlets soft and pliable, very widely diffused 

 in various directions and slightly flexuose. The branches and their 

 lesser divisions taper to slender apices and more or less narrowed 

 toward their origin. In older fronds branches become usually 

 naked or bare of ramuli and tapering of their basal portions is 

 more manifest than those in younger frond. The frond is hollow 

 from the beginning and the tube is very wide being more than 

 one-third the diameter. The axile cylinder is formed of rather 

 loosely compacted longitudinal cells with wide calibres having many 

 intercellular spaces. The wall of the longitudinal cells is slightly 

 thickened and shows distinct pits. Along the inner side of the 

 axile cylinder there are a few scattered cylindrical cells with nar- 

 row diameters. From the outer roundish cells of the axile cylin- 

 der assimilatory filaments and hair-tufts arise. The assimilatory 

 filaments consist of 3-4 subcylindrical cells of which the terminal 

 one is obovate or roundish. Zoosporangia are carried at the ba- 

 sal joints of assimilatory filaments, oblong or elliptico-oblong. The 

 substance is soft and membranous, very gelatinous, but the cross- 

 section of dried frond extends with elasticity ; the plant closely 



