THE 



CHARACE/E OF AMERICA. 



INTRODUCTION. 



THE publication of this work has been postponed from time to 

 time in order to accumulate material for a more complete ac- 

 count of the species growing in this country. The demand for in- 

 formation concerning these plants is, however, so pressing, that it is 

 thought best to issue the first part of the work now, to be followed, 

 after a year or two, by the second part, which will contain descrip- 

 tions of the species now known to inhabit American waters. 



The determination of the species of Characeae should not be 

 undertaken without a previous acquaintance with the structure and 

 development of the plant in general; indeed, no classification, worthy 

 to be called such, was possible, till the researches of the late Prof. 

 A. Braun laid a sure foundation in the morphology of the Charad, 

 and with Prof. Braun Characeae began, as it were, a new existence 

 in the scientific world, almost comparable to the birth of the Lin- 

 naean system. Old names of species were found to be indefinite 

 and misleading, and, in most cases, they had to be discarded en- 

 tirely and replaced by others. 



Braun's "Fragmenta" have been edited by Dr. Nordstedt, who 

 also arranged a synoptical key to all the species. This key is now 

 translated, with the permission of Dr. Nordstedt, revised, in ac- 

 cordance with his recent notes (September, 1887), and made to in- 

 clude new species. We have repeatedly stated in this work that 

 very little of it is original; the investigations concerning germination, 

 development, structure, and the principles of classification have all 

 been made by authors who have been properly credited with their 

 work. In some places the language of these authors, especially of 

 Prof. Braun, has been literally translated. The illustrations are 



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