of 80 [x. The filaments are cylindrical. So far as we can teil, A. obscura appears to bc allied 

 to A. erecta in structure; and for geographical reasons this might well be expected since its 

 place of origin is situated to the north of the distribution-area of A. erecta. From this latter 

 species it differs in habit, being stipitate and widely cuneate, whereas A. erecta is nearly 

 always subsessile and reniform or securiform ; the frond filaments of A. obscura are usually 

 more clavate at their apices, and apparently not of the orange colour characteristic of A. erecta. 

 Should Gaudichaud's plants prove to be conspecific with A. erecta, then the latter name dating 

 from 1842 would have to give way to A. obscura which harks back to 1823. 



The type locality quoted by C. A. Agardh (1. c.) is "In mari Australi, ad insulam 

 Guham", which J. G. Agardh (Till Alg. 1. c.) renders "Hab. in Oceano pacifico calidiore ; ad 

 Guham in insulis Moluccis a Gaudichaud lecta". We would point out that Gaudichaud himself 

 spells the name of the Island "Guam" and describes it as one of the Marianne Islands in 

 Freycinet's Voyage Autour du Monde IV. Botanique (1826) p. 64. Hence J. G. Agardh was 

 wrong in supposing Guam to be in the Moluccas. 



The sketches reproduced here are some of the above-mentioned drawings sent to us 

 by Prof. Nordstedt. 



6. Avrainvillea clavatiramea n. sp. 



Hab. INDIC. Victoria: Port Phillip, Corio Bay (10. 2. 87)! and Port Phillip Heads (9. 1. 88)! coll. 

 J. Bracebridge Wilson. Both in Herb. Mus. Brit. 



Plant green to brown, up to 14 cm. high, solitary; stipes up to 3.5 cm. long, arising 

 from a small bulbous base, expanding cuneately into the frond ; frond flabellate, rotundate or 

 proliferous at apex, up to 7.5 cm. long by 8 cm. broad, thick below, membranaceous at upper 

 margin, green, often zonate. 



Frond-filaments yellowish-brown, of rather large size, usually 35 — 55 p. in diam., rather 

 straight, often torulose towards the apices, apices subclavate and obtuse. [Figs. 92, 93]. 



The specimens from which this description was drawn are in the British Museum (fig. 92) 

 and bear a label with the following note : "Avrainvillea anne A. oöscura prox. ? J. Agardh". 

 Although as explained under A. obscura, we have been unable to obtain any material of that 

 species for examination, we have several camera lucida sketches supplied by Prof. Nordstedt, 

 which show that the frond filaments of A. obscura are more variable in diameter (30 — 80 ;j.) 

 than in A. clavatiramea, and though clavate they are not torulose at the apices. (Compare 

 fier. 91 with fig. 93). These differences, coupled with the fact that the original localities of the 

 two species are so widely separated from one another and are quite unconnected by any ocean 

 currents, convince us that the two species are distinct, though similar in external habit. 



7. A. Ridleyi n. sp. 



Syn. A. lacerata A. & E. S. Gepp in Journal of Botany XLIII. 1905. p. 339. 



Hab. Indic. Christmas Island, Flying Fish Cqve, n° 224! — and Waterfall Cove, n° 243 pro parte ! 



Coll. H. N. Ridley. Oct. 1904. — Flying Fish Cove, C. IV. Andrews, n° 249! (spirit 



specimen) .... All the specimens in Herb. Mus. Brit. 



SIHOGA-EXPEDIT1E LXII. 



