CONFERVA CILIATA. 



C filamcntis dichotomis apice forcipatis ; dilTepimentis verticillatim 

 ciliatis articulis utrinque obfcuris medio pdlucidis, capfulis fob- 

 globofis lateralibus. 



C. ciliata. Ellis in Phil. Tranf. LVII. p. 425. t . l8 . f. h . H . H . Ang . p ^ 

 Fl. Scot. p. 998. With. IV. p. 1 3 7 . 



C. pilofa. Roth. Cat. Bot. II. p. 225. t. 5. f. 2. 



Rocks, Stones, and Fuci in die Sea, not unfrequent. 



THIS highly elegant Conferva, though fufficiently common on moft of our 

 fhores does not appear to have been noticed by Linnsus, Ray, or by any author 

 till Ellis publifhed an excellent figure of it in the 57th vol. of the Philofophical 

 Tranfaftions. It grows in bufhy mafles, feldom exceeding two inches in length, 

 and varying in color from a bright to a purplifh red. The root appears to be a 

 fmall Callus, from which feldom more than one Item arifes, but I have fometimes 

 obferved a connecting filament between thefe Calli, which whether it mould be 

 confidered as a creeping ftem or root I am at a lofs to decide, not having been 

 able to feparate it from the fubftance on which it grows. The filaments are 

 branched; the branches repeatedly dichotomous, remarkably incurved at their 

 extremities in a forceps-like manner. The difTepiments are obfolete, but the 

 joints at each end are generally more or lefs fwollen, and of a reddilh color, 

 occafioned by reticulated veins, which as in C. diaphana leave the middle of the 

 joint perfedly colourlefs and tranfparent ; what however ftrikingly diflinguifh 

 this from that fpecies are whirls of pellucid fpines which encircle each diflepiment, 

 and give this plant a beautiful appearance under the microfcope. The capfulcs 

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