

66 



wechseln mit kurzen von 14 a. Breite und 20 p. Lange und langen, von glejchfalls 14 ;;.. 

 Breite, aber 40 a. Lange regelmassig ab. Nach der Peripherie zu bleiben sic sich darm in der 

 ('.ros-,,' gleich. Die oberen Zeilen enthalten 1 — 3 langliche, kaum 2 7.. grosse Chromatophoren ; 

 :gen schliessen die langen mittleren Zeilen bis 80 kleine, kaum ' s <i. (!) grosse Chromato- 

 phoren ein". It would seem from what is quoted that the cell-rows might be alternating one 



long and one short, as in Lithophyllum moluccense, but in fact they are 

 alternating exactly as in L. Bamleri, i. e. usually two long and one 

 short row (Fig. 24). This alternation is however not always regular, as 

 in one and the same section sometimes can also be found now a few 

 long rows, now one long and one short. As to the size of the cells the 

 plant also fully coincides with L. Bamleri, i. e. my measurements stated 

 above. A few conceptacles of sporangia occur in the said fragment. They 

 are convex, but little prominent, 400 — 500 ( u. in diameter, when seen 

 from the surface. The sporangia are four-parted, 55 — 70 u.. long and 

 about 30 u. broad. These organs mainly coincide in shape and develop- 

 ment with the genus Litlioplixllum, and they are similar to those in 

 L. Bamleri. I have certainly not seen the sexual organs in Perispermum. 



Fig. 24. Perispermum , , . , . 



naphroditum Hevdr. I here cannot, however, be any doubt that those mentioned by Hevdkicii 



of a median section j c are i c ] e ntic with the cystocarps described by him under L. Bamleri. 



of a branch: X 72. 



In addition, it is a significant fact that he 1. c. compares P. hermaphro- 

 diium with eight other species, several of which are very distantly related, but not with L. 

 Bamleri, which he received even from the same spot as P. hermaphroditum. 



I place the two specimens in this collection under the species-name first given to the 

 plant, but as above remarkecl, I will not here enter more nearly upon the question whether 

 the species perhaps represents a separate genus. The organs considered as cystocarpic concep- 

 tacles certainly seem to be somewhat differing from those in typically developed species of 

 Lithophyllum, but it is very uncertain whether the value of this difference is of such importance 

 as to justify the classification of a new genus. In some respect they come near to those in 

 Goniolithon too. As for Perispermum, however, Heydrich bases this genus on hermaphroditic 

 sexual organs, which is no generic character. Besides, he states the formation of the procarp 

 as a co-ordinate character, which he also applies to other genera. I have formerly mentioned 

 the value of the latter as very uncertain, and in this respect I here refer to Falkenberg's 

 important work on the Rhodomelaceae '). His remarks are in the main also applicable to the 



1) P. FALKENBERG. Die Rhodomelaceen des Golfes von Xeapel und der angvenzenden Meeres-Abschnitte. — Fauna und Flora 

 olfes vun Neapel. 25. Berlin 1901. — As for the mentioned relation he states as follows p. 103: 



"So characteristisch für die ganze Familie der Rhodomelaceen der Bau des Procarps und dessen Entwicklung zum Cystocarp 



Het, die in ihren grossen Umrissen constant festgehalten werden, so mannigfache Varianten können daneben in Einzelheiten 



auftreten: in der Bildung accessorischer Astchen durch die fertile Pericentralzelle neben dein Carpogonast, in dem Abort dieser Astchen 



oder ihrer Entwicklung zu sterilen Fadenbüscheln, in dem Grade der Fusionirung der Cystocarpzellen. Es liegt nahe, diese Charactere 



i weiteren systematischen Gliederung der grossen Familie zu verwenden. Dass es zum Theil schwer constatirbare Charaktere sind, 



Irde ihrer praktischen Verwendbarkeit zwar Schwierigkeïten in den Weg legen, ihr wissenschaftlicher Werth würde aber dadurch ja 



nicht alterirt. Von dem Versuch, auf sie l'nterfamilien zu begründen, habe ich aber fruh Abstand genommen, weil durch ihre Verwendung 



hster Verwandtschaft in unnatürlicher Weise hatten aus einander gerissen werden mussen, und diese Schwan- 



kungen in Einzelheiten mehr den Charakter unwesentliclier Zufalligkeiten tragen. 



