See. MELANOSPERME^. ( 171 ) p^,, eCTOCATJPE^. 



Plate CLXXV. 

 ECTOCARPUS FASCICULATUS.-7/«m 



Gen-. Char. — "Frond capillary, jointed, olive or brown, flaccid, single-tubed. Fruit, 

 either spherical, elliptical, or lanceolate utricles (or spores), borne (externally) 

 on the ramuli, or imbedded in their substance." Name from iKrhs, " external," 

 and Kapirhs, "fruit." A name equally applicable to many other genera, and 

 unfortunately only to a few of the species in the present. 



ECTOCARFVS fasciculatics. — Filaments rather stout, gradually attenuated 

 upwards ; branches distant, rather short, fascicled, ramuli mostly secund, 

 at length converted into elongate ovate utricles. 



EcTOCARPCS fasciculatus. — Harv. P. B. plate 273; Harv. Man. p. 59; Ilarv.&yn. 

 p. 55; Atlas, plate 19, fig. 82; Harv. N. B. A. part 1, p. 141; 

 J. 0. Agardh, Sp. Gen. Alg. vol. i. p. 22. 



Hab. — Between tide-marks, on the larger Algas ; generally on Laminaria digitata. 

 Common. 



Geoqr. Dist. — Atlantic shores of Europe and North America. 



Description. — Fronds filiform, cylindrical, rather robust at the base, 

 main filaments scarcely tapering upwards, three to six inches or more in 

 length, repeatedly but not excessively branched j branches patent, rather 

 distant, short and stout, sparingly divided, the ramuli veiy close, mostly 

 secund, simple, or once or twice divided in a similar manner ; the ultimate 

 ramuli frequently arising from each articulation, the lowest the longest, 

 becoming rapidly shorter. Articulations from once and a-half to twice 

 as long as their diameter. Fruit formed from the metamorphosis of 

 the ultimate ramuli, and, hke them, closely placed, secund, sessile, ovate- 

 acuminate or elongate-ovate, tapering to an obtuse point, closely striate 

 transversely. Substance rather flaccid, especially in the younger parts, 

 and closely adhering to paper in drying. Colour, at first a fine pleasant 

 olive green, at length pale yellowish brown. 



This is a very common, and, when in a good state, a very hand- 

 some species, and often, as Professor Hai-vey observes, forms " a continuous 

 fringe along the segments of the fronds of Laminaria digitata, or long 

 brush-like tufts at their apices, occasionally also on the fronds of 

 L. saccharina and other Algee." 



The fronds are seldom more than from one and a half to two and a 



