CONFERVA VERTICILLATA. 



C. filamentis cartilagines fubdichotomis ; ramulis ad diffepimenta ver- 

 ticillatis breviffimis incurvatis plerumq. bifurcis ; articulis brevibus*. 



C. verthillata. Fl. Scot, p. 984. With. IV. p. 1^3. 



C. myriophyllum. Roth in Schrader's Journal, III. p. 335. 



On Rocks and Stones the Sea, not unfrequent. 



C. Verticillata is extremely plentiful in the pools left by the tide about Dover, 

 and is more or lefs frequently met with on moft of our coafts. It is generally 

 from four to five inches in length, and of a dull olive color: the root is a callus 

 from which feveral irregularly branched filaments arife : the ftem and branches 

 are of a horny nature, and every where befet with clofe whirls of rigid incurved, 

 hair-like ramuli, which are moftly forked but fometimes fimple, and though 

 fhort yet twice as long as the joints of the ftem. In thefe ramuli fhort joints are 

 faintly obfervable with a microfcope, very nearly refembling thofe of C. fpongiofa, 

 to which this plant is clofely allied, but from which it may in general be at once 

 diftinguifhed by its forked, incured and regularly verticillate ramuli ; but fpeci- 

 mens fometimes occur fo intermediate that it is not eafy to determine to which 

 they belong. The fructification has not been difcovered, but is moft probably 

 fimilar to that of C. fpongiofa. 



It has already been remarked in the defcription of C. fpongiofa, that the 

 prefent plant was confounded by Hudfon with that fpecies, and we are indebted 

 to Lightfoot for having firft feparated them. Roth, in the firft volume of his 

 Catalacta Botanica, and in Schrader's Journal, has followed Schmidel, and 

 defcribed C. equifetifolia under the name of C. verticillata, though he has erred 

 in alcribing to it fimple ramuli. 



