Ser. MELANOSPERME/E. ( 127 ) Fam. CIlOliDARIE/E. 



ELACHISTA CTJUT A.— ArescL 



Gen. Char. — Fronds cousisting 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 " para^iemafa." Name from eAax'^To, "the 

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



Elachista airta. — " Filaments very short, tapering to the base, 

 obtuse, pencilled, rather rigid, rising from a tubercle ; articulations 

 about as long as broad ; spores pyriform, on long pedicels ; paranemata 

 linear-clavate." — Fhi/c. Brit. 



Elachista curta. — Aresch. in Linn. vol. xvi. p. 234; Harv. P. B. plate 332; 

 Harv. Man. p. 50 ; Harv. Syn. p. 44 ; Atlas, plate 15, fig. 63 ; 

 /. Q. Agardh, Sp. Gen. Alg. vol. i. p. 12. 



Conferva curta. — Dillw. t. 76; Ag. Syst. p. 103; Harv. in Hook. Br. Fl. vol. ii. 

 p. 355 ; Harv. Man. 1st edit. p. 132. 



Hab. — On Fuel, between tide-marks. Annual. Summer. At Swansea {Mr. L. W. 

 Dillwyn). (Not found since his time). 



GrEOGR. DiST. ? 



Description. — Tubercle very minute. Paranemata linear-filiform ; 

 the apices clavate. Articulations cylindrical, three to four times as long 

 as broad ; filaments short from a slender tapering base, somewhat 

 clavate, slightly tapering to the apex, which is rather obtuse and 

 rounded ; their articulations about as long as broad, slightly contracted 

 at the dissepiments, those at the base cylindrical, three to foiu- times as 

 long as broad. Spores pyriform or obovate, gradually tapering into 

 rather long, slender pedicels. 



We are chiefly indebted to Pkyc. Brit, for our descriptions of this 

 species, never having met with it, and we are there infonned that it has 

 not been recently met with, although Dillwyn says that it is not imcom- 

 mon at Swansea. Possibly its small size and family-likeness may have 

 caused it to be overlooked, as no doubt many of the obscure and less 

 conspicuous of the Algae have often been. We are informed in the 

 splendid work of Dr. Harvey, that the only specimens he had seen were 

 some very poor ones preserved in the herbarium of Sir W. Jackson 

 Hooker. 



