56 SPHACELARIA. 



the lower ones slightly divided. Hook. Br. Fl. ii. p. 323 ; 

 IVi/alt, Alg. Damn. No. 36 ; E. Bot. t. 1552 ; S. disticha, 

 Lyngh.} Harv. in Hook. Br. Fl. ii. p. 323; Harv. Phyc. 

 Brit. t. xxxvii. 



Southern coasts of England, frequent. Frith of Forth, Dr. Greville. 

 Irish coast in several places, but not common. — Stems 2 — 4 inches high, 

 shaggy at the base, robust, much and irregularly divided or sub-simple, 

 densely set with quadrifarious, pinnate or bipinnate branches, which spread 

 from the summits of the main divisions in broad, brush-like, rigid tufts ; 

 pinnse either short, simple and spine-like, or long and again pinnate. 

 There is no axillaiy pinnule as in the last species. Joints of the stem and 

 branches longitudinally striate. S. disticha of the British Flora is merely 

 the autumn and winter state of this species. 



** Stems naked at the base {without tvoolly fibres). 



4. S. plimrosa, Lyngb. ; filaments naked at base, elongated, 

 irregularly branched, inarticulate; branches pectinato-pin- 

 nate ; pinnae opposite, simple, very close, elongated. Hook. 

 Br. Fl. ii. p. 324. Conf. pennaia,'E. Bot. t. 2330, {left hand 



fig^ ; JVyait, Alg. Danm. No. 300 ; Harv. Phyc. Brit. t. 

 Ixxxvii. 



On rocks, near low-water mark. Perennial. Several places, from Ork- 

 ney to the Land's End ; but rare: the northern specimens most luxuriant. 

 — Stems 2 — 6 inches high, many springing from the same disk-like base, 

 irregularly branched, as thick as a hog's bristle, opaque, unjointed ; 

 branches tufted or scattered, h an inch to I5 inch long, resembling feathers, 

 closely pinnated with opposite, patent, obtuse, simple (or rarely pinnulated) 

 pinnae, which are often sphacelate at the tips. 



5. S. cirrhosa. Roth ; filaments naked at base, short, 

 densely tufted, simple or branched, jointed throughout ; stem 

 (or branches) pinnate ; pinnae opposite, alternate or irregular, 

 simple. Harv. in Hook. I. c. p. 324 ; IVyatt, Alg. Danm. 

 No. 171. Conf. pennata, E. Bot. t. 2330 {right hand fg.) ; 

 Harv. Phyc. t. clxxviii. /3. (egagropila ; forming a dense 

 round ball. y. patentissima ; ramuli irregular, issuing at 

 right angles. Grev. Crypt, t. 317. 



In the sea, on other Algae and on corallines, very common, a. com- 

 monest on the South coast of England. /3. West of Ireland, y. shores of 

 Bute, Dr. Greville. — This is a most variable plant. In a. the filaments 

 are very slender, simple, forming star-like, fastigiate tufts, or closely in- 

 vesting the stems of Algae ; about an inch long, articulated, pinnated 

 thrcjughout with short, erecto-patent, attenuated, opposite or alternate ra- 

 muli, at distances of every second or third joint. These ramuli are either 

 simple or furnished with a few others which are often three-forked. Arti- 

 culations about as long as broad. This variety something resembles small 

 specimens of iS'. plumosa, but the ramuli are far less close and regular, and 

 the joints of the stem very evident. In 0. the tufts are globose and very 



