See. MELANOSPERME^. ( 109 ) Fam. CHORD ARTE.^.. 



CHORDAEIA DIVARICATA.— ^i/. 



Gen. CnAR. — Frond cellular, solid, filiform, cylindrical, consisting of two strata of cells; 

 the inner oblong, arranged in longitudinal filamentous series, the outer in vertical, 

 short, club-shaped filaments. Fructification : obovate spores, attached, near the 

 base, to the filaments of the periphery. Name from chorda, "a chord." 



Choedaria divaricata. — "Frond irregularly divided ; branches divari- 

 cate, sxibdichotomoiis, flexuons, furnished towards the apices with short, 

 veiy patent, mostly forked ramuli ; filaments of the periphery capitate." 



Chordaria divaricata. — Ag. Syn. p. 12; Ag. Sp. Alg. vol. i. p. 165; Synt. p. 256; 

 Endl. 3rd Suppl. p. 23; Harv. P. 5. plate 17; Harv. Man. p. 46; 

 Jlarv. Syn. p. 40 ; Atlas, plate 12, fig. 48 ; J. G. Agardh, Sp. Gen. Alg. 

 vol. i. p. 65. 



Mesogloia divaricata. — Kiltz. Phyc. Gen. p. 332. 



Hab. — Thrown up from deep water, at Can-ickfergus, near Belfast, Oct. 1845 {Mr. 

 M^Calla). Annual. Autumn. 



Geogr. Dist. — Baltic Sea (Agardh) ; Belfast Lough. 



Description. — Root, a minute disc. Fronds filiform, cylindiical, five 

 to fifteen inches or more in length, and about a quarter of a line in 

 diameter, repeatedly branched from the base in an irregularly dicho- 

 tomous manner ; main stem simple and percurrent or repeatedly 

 dichotomous, main branches distant or fascicled, nuich divided, all the 

 divisions very patent or divaricated, often curved ; the apices forked or 

 multifid, the ultimate ramuli short and somewhat more erect. " The 

 surface of the whole frond is slimy, and clothed with long, byssoid, 

 gelatinous fibres, which spread in all directions, and when the plant is 

 floating in the water add greatly to its apparent diameter. These are 

 imperfectly preserved in a dry state." — Phyc. Brit. Stnictiu'e of the 

 axis filamentous ; filaments articulated, compact, interlacing, and anasto- 

 mosing, joints oblong, about three times as long as broad ; those of the 

 periphery slightly clavate, the apical cell very large and capitate. Sub- 

 stance gelatinous, very soft and lubricous, and closely adhering to paper. 

 Colour, a pale greenish olive, brown in age. " Spores afiixed to the 

 bases of the filaments of the periphery, obovate, bright olive, j)lentiful on 

 oui' specimens." — Phyc. Brit. 



Our specimens of this are very imperfect ; as a species it seems abun- 

 dantly distinct from the preceding, both in structure and ramification. 



