Seb. MELANOSPERME^. { 125 ) Fam. CHORDARIEiE. 



ELACHISTA FLAG CID A.— ^mcA. 



Gen. Chak. — Fronds consisting of a more or less evident tubercular base, composed of 

 ovate cells, arranged in the form of mostly dichotomous filaments, densely packed, 

 terminating in free, simple filaments, forming a brush-like tuft. Fructification : 

 obovate spores, produced at the base of the simple filaments, and often accom- 

 panied by tufts of short, clavate '^ paranemata." Name firom 4\dxi(rTa, "the 

 least," in allusion to the small size of the species. 



Elachista Jlaccida. — Filaments flaccid, much elongated, and attenu- 

 ated at the base ; apices attenuated to an obtuse point ; lower articu- 

 lations scarcely half as long as broad, upper rather longer than broad ; 

 tubercle minute. 



Elachista jlaccida. — Aresck. Pug. 2, p. 262 ; J. 0. Agardh, Sp. Oen. Alg. vol. i. 

 p. 11 ; Harv. P. B. plate 260; Harv. Man. p. 50; Harv. Syn. p. 44; 

 Atlas, plate 15, fig. 62 ; Fries, Fl. Scan. p. 317 ; Eng. Bot. t. 2912. 



Elachista breviarticulata. — Aresch. in Linn. vol. xvi. p. 234, t. 8, f. 5. 



Phtcophila Jlaccida. — Kiitz. Phyc. Oen. p. 330. 



Mtrionema hrsviarticulatwm. — Endl. 3rd Suppl. p. 23. 



Conferva Jlaccida. — Dillw. t. G. ; Harv. in HooTc. Br. Fl. vol. ii. p. 355 ; Harv. 

 in Mack. Fl. Hih. part 3, p. 227 ; Harv. Man. 1st edit. p. 132 ; 

 Wyatt, Alg. Damn. No. 292. 



Conferva ohtusa. — Ag. Syst. p. 101. 



Conferva breviarticulata. — Suh', in Flora 1831, p. 32, t. 4, f. 36, x, y, z. 

 Hab. — Parasitical on Cys^ose^Va ^Srosa. Common. Annual. Summer and autumn. 

 Geoqr. Dist. — Atlantic shores of France and England. 



Description. — Tubercle very minute, its filaments closely compacted, 

 formed of ovate or obovate cells, once or twice dichotomous ; each of 

 the ultimate divisions crowned with a tuft of club-shaped j^aranemata, 

 composed of ovato-oblong cells, which gradually increase in size to the 

 apices. Among these nestle the spores, which are obovate, with very 

 short stalks; the brush-like filaments are elongate, shortly and very- 

 much attenuated at the base, cylindrical for a little above the middle, 

 then slightly tapering to the apex, which is veiy obtuse. The lower 

 articulations scarcely so long as broad, the upper gradually longer, 

 those near the apex somewhat longer than broad, slightly swollen in the 

 middle. Substance veiy flaccid, and closely adhering to the paper in 

 drying. Colour, a pale greenish olive. 



