CHANTRANSIACE^E. 283 



Bangia atro-purpturea. (Dilhv.) Ag. Syst. p. 76. 



Forming lax purple tufts ; threads abbreviated, scarcely ex- 

 ceeding an inch long, simple, varying in thickness according to 

 age, joints nearly equal in length to their diameter, or one-third 

 as long, more or less constricted at the joints. 



SIZE. Filaments -03--06 mm. diam. Cells '01 mm. long. 



Rabh. Alg. Eur. i., 398. Eng. Bot. ii., t. 2413. 

 Conferva atro-purpurea, Dillw. Conf., t. 103. Eng. Bot. i., t. 

 2085. 



Girardia fusco-'purpurea, /?. Gray Arr. i., 287. 



Attached to wood and stones in streams. 



In his most recent work Agardh advocates the removal of this genus 

 to the Ulvacece, on account of the absence of genuine tetraspores. 







Plate CXVlLJig. 1. a, portion of tuft, natural size; 5, portions of 

 threads X 400 diam. 



FAMILY II. CHANTEANSIACE^]. 



Forming dwarf pulvinate tufts, of a purplish-violet or steel- 

 blue colour. Thallus filamentous. Threads articulate, formed 

 of a single series of cells, branched, straight, naked, fasciculately 

 branched above, joints cylindrical. Propagation by immovable 

 spores formed at the tips of the branchlets. Tetraspores rarely 

 observed. 



GENUS 118. CHANTRANSIA. Fries. (1825.) 



The only genus in the family, with the same characters as 

 given above. 



Chantransia violacea. Kutz. Tab. Pliyc. v. t. 44, /. 2. 



Tufts bright violet, scarcely exceeding a line broad, pulvi- 

 nately rounded, threads straight, branches becoming erect, 

 radiately disposed ; joints 3-6 times as long as broad, the apical 

 joints rather obtuse. 



SIZE. Cells -008--009 mm. diam. 



Rabh. Alg. Eur. iii., 402. Kirch. Alg. Schles. 47. 

 Parasitic on Lemanea, Cladophora, and aquatic mosses. 



Plate CXFlll. fig. 1. a> tuft natural size j b, portions of filaments X 

 300 diam. 



