CONFERVA POLYMORPHA. 



C. filamentis dichotomis faftigiatis fub-cartilagineis, articulis brevibus, 

 capfulis in ramulis fuperioribus, ovatis, feffilibus. 



C. poiymorpha. Sp. PI. p. 1636. Fl. Ang. p. 599. Fl. Scot. p. 989. With 

 III. p. 138. Ellis in Phil. Tranf. LVII. p. 425. t. i3. 



Ceramium faftigiatum. Roth. Fl. Germ. III. pars. 1. p. 463. Cat. Bot. II. 

 p. 175. 



Conferva marina geniculata nigra palmata. Dill. Mufc. p. 32. t. 6. f. 35. 



Conferva marina geniculata ramofiflima lubrica, brevibus & palmatim congeftis 

 ramulis. Ray Syn. p. 61. 



In the Sea, on Fucus nodofus, common. 



NO Conferva is more common or has been longer or better underftood than 

 C. poiymorpha. It grows parafitically on fome of the larger Fuci, but moft 

 commonly on Fucus nodofus, forming thick tufts, about two or three inches in 

 length. The color when young is a dark purple, but changes with age, or when 

 dry, to black. The root is a callus, which is fo fmall, and in color fo precifely 

 refembles the Fuci to which it adheres, that it is difficult to diftinguifh it. It 

 appears to me to throw out extremely fhort creepers, the ends of which adhering 

 to the rocks, become other Calli, and thus fupply the bundles of filaments which 

 always occur in this fpecies. Two or more fubcartilaginous filaments, of the 

 thicknefs of horfe hair, generally rife from the fame root ; the ftems are repeatedly 

 dichotomous, with rather acute angles, which caufes the bundled appearance of 



