Ser. MELANOSPERMEJ;. ( 97 ) F.VM. DICTYOTE^. 



Plate CLXV. 

 ASPEROCOCCUS COMPRESSUS.— G^nJ. 



Gen. Char. — Frond membranaceous, simple, tubular, cylindrical or compressed. Fructi- 

 fication : external, minute, roundish ovate spores collected in little groups or sori, 

 mixed abundantly with club-shaped filaments, and scattered over the whole surface 

 of the frond. Name improperly formed from the Latin asper, "rough," and the 

 Greek k6kk.os, "fruit," in allusion to the roughness formed on the surface by the 

 fructification. 



AsPEROCOCCUS compressus. — Frond from a naiTow subcylindrical base, 

 linear or linear-lanceolate, obtuse or slightly acuminated ; sori oblong. 



AsPEROOOCCus compressus.— Griff. MSS. ; ffooh Br. Fl. vol. ii. p. 278 ; Wyatt, 

 Alg. Danm. No. 8 ; /. Ag. Alg. Medit. p. 41 ; Menegh. Alg. Ital. 

 p. 164, t. 4. f. 1 ; Endl 3rd Suppl. p. 26 ; ffarv. P. B. plate 72 ; 

 Harv. Man. p. 42; Earv. Syn. p. 37; Atlas, plate 11, fig. 44 ; /. Q. 

 Agardh, Sp. Gen. Alg, vol. i. p. 77. 



Haloglossum Griffithsianum.—Kiltz. Phyc. Gen. p. 340. 



Hab. — Parasitical on Algee in the sea. Annual. Summer. South of England and 

 Jersey, not uncommon. 



Geogr. Dist. — Southern shores of England ; Mediterranean Sea; Cherbourg; Cape 

 Finisterre ; Cape of Good Hope {Dr. Harvey). 



Description. — Root, a minute disc. Frond from a narrow, short, sub- 

 cylindrical base, gi'adually widening into a narrow linear or linear- 

 lanceolate frond, six to fifteen inches or more in length, and fi'om six 

 to sixteen lines in breadth, widest about the middle, the base or stem 

 not much thicker than a stout hair, the apex more or less obtuse or 

 rounded, and but slightly narrowed, the surface flat, rather smooth when 

 young, but very rough to the feel when old and covered with fi-uit, the 

 margin straight or slightly waved, tubular, but so compressed that the 

 two sides are nearly in contact, and often united by transverse jointed 

 filaments. Structure consisting of an inner layer of large quadrate 

 cells, and an outer of minute roundish cellules. Substance mem- 

 branaceous, imperfectly adhering to paper. Coloiu*, a pale yellowish 

 olive, the green mostly vanishing in age. Fructification : minute, 

 roundish oval spores, immersed among tufts of club-shaped filaments 

 scattered over the surface of the frond. 



Very closely related to the species of the preceding genus, between 



VOL. III. 



