337 



Notes on the Floride^e and on some Newly-Found 



Antheridia. 



By T. H. Buffham. 



Read February 22nd, 1884. 



PLATES X., XL, XII. 



It is well known that the dried forms of the Red Marine Algse 

 have long been regarded as beautiful and desirable possessions, but 

 since the use of the microscope was found necessary to enable the 

 botanist to properly classify these plants they have become legiti- 

 mate and attractive objects for everyone who cares to become 

 acquainted with the various classes constituting the lower Crypto- 

 gamia. It was, of course, soon found that the form and disposition 

 of the fruit were of great variety, and must be taken into account by 

 the systematist, and this gave an impulse to collectors who would 

 assist in completing our knowledge of all the species composing the 

 large sub-class called Mhodospermece, and now generally spoken of 

 as Floridece. 



Although since the more general use of the microscope a great 

 extension of our knowledge of the modes of growth, development, 

 and reproduction of the smaller plants has resulted, it is only com- 

 paratively recently that the chain of evidence was so far completed 

 that we may now confidently speak of some formerly doubtful 

 points. It should be understood that this paper deals only with 

 the sub-class just named. 



When the late Prof. Harvey published his splendid li Phycologia 

 Britannica " containing life-sized coloured figures of every plant, 

 with numerous magnified representations of dissections and of the 

 fruits then known, he made therein no attempt to clear up the 

 functions of the various kinds of fruit found on many species, 

 These were : 



1. A compound fruit which, when mature, became detached from 

 the parent plant, and then usually broke Up into four portions, each 

 of which was found capable of growing into a new plant. This is 

 the tetraspore. 



Journ. Q. M. C, Series IL, No. 8. e e 



