120 PROCEEDINGS OP THE CALIFORNIA 



Regular Meeting, February 1st, 1864. 



President in the Chair. 



Eleven members present. 



Donation to the Cabinet : A collection of dried plants from 

 Arizona, by Mr. Spence. 



Prof. Brewer presented the following papers : 



Description of a Hew Species of Virgularia from the 

 Coast of California. 



BY WM. M. GABB. 

 YlRGULARIA Lam. 



V. gracilis Gabb. 



Polypidom long and very slender. Decorticated stem circular or elliptical in 

 section, smooth on the surface. Polypiferous lobes, slender, exsert, lunate, acute 

 at the tips and broad at the base ; arranged oblicmely and alternately on the 

 antero-lateral face of the stem. These lobes occupy the upper half of the 

 polypidom ; retaining their full size to the extreme apex, but diminishing below, 

 so that on the middle of the stem they are exceedingly minute ; and an inch or 

 two below, are only represented by a slight ridge on the sheath, in which are 

 two or three cells. The lower fourth of the sheath is dilated to about three 

 times the thickness of the rest of the stem. 



Length 19 inches ; diameter of the naked stem .03 in. ; smallest diameter of 

 stem, with the sheath, .04 in. ; diameter of expanded base .13 in. ; length of 

 largest lobes .15 in. 



Locality, Bay of Monterey, 20 fms. Collected by Dr. J. G. Cooper, of the 

 State Geological Survey. 



This species can be at once distinguished from V. elongata, G. (Proc. Cal. A. 

 N. S., vol. 2, p. 167) by its more slender form, its proportionally large polypif- 

 erous lobes, its cylindrical stem, without any grooves, and by the comparatively 

 smaller portion of the stem bearing the lobes. 



Notice of Plants found Growing in Hot Springs in California. 



BY PROF. WM. H. BREWER, OF THE STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



More than two years ago I laid before this Society some facts in regard to 

 the growth of plants in the thermal waters of this State. Since that time we 

 have more observations, and some of the facts are worthy of record, although 

 the fact is not new that plants will grow in hot water. 



At the Geysers in Lake County, there are numerous hot springs and steam 

 jets, in and around which there is an abundant growth of a low form of vegeta- 

 tion (Nostoc ?) growing on the soil and covering it with a bright green coating. 

 In some of the warm springs and streams it accumulates in considerable quan- 

 tities in the water. The highest temperature of water observed at the time of 

 our visit, in 1861, was 207° F. ; the water of many of the springs boiling 

 violently at temperatures ranging from 196° to that stated. This vegetable 



