Ser. MELANOSPERME.^. ( 175 ) Fam. ECTOOARPE^. 



Plate CLXXVII. 

 ECTOCARPUS TOMENTOSUS.— Zyn^J. 



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 (ktIs, "external," 

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

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



EcTOCARPUS tomentosiis. — Filaments excessively fine, veiy much and 

 in-egularly branched, densely compacted and interwoven into a shaggy, 

 rope-like, irregularly divided frond ; utricle elliptical, stalked, scattered 

 upon the upper branchlets. 



EcTOCARPUs ^omewtosMS. — Lyngb. Hyd. Dan. p. 132, t. 44; Ag. Syst. p. 163; 

 A(j. Sp. Alg. vol. ii. p. 44; Grev. Crypt. Fl. t. 316; WycUt, Alg. 

 Danm. No. 37 ; Endl. 3rd Snppl. p. 21 ; Kiitz. Phjc. Gen. p. 290 ; 

 Harv. in Hooh. Br. Fl. vol. ii. p. 326 ; Jlarv. in 3Iack. Fl. Jlib. 

 part 3, p. 181 ; Harv. P. B. plate 182; Harv. Man. p. 59; Harv. 

 Syn. p. 56; Atlas, plate 19, fig. 84 ; Harv. N. B. A. part 1, p. 141: 

 /. G. Agardh, Sp. Gen. Alg. vol. i. p. 23. 



Ceramium tomentosum. — Ag. Syn. p. 64; HooL Fl. Scot, part 2, p. 86. 



Chantransia tomentosa. — Endl. 8rd Suppl. p. 21. 



Conferva tomentosa. — Huds. Fl, Angl. p. 594 ; Light/. Fl. Scot. p. 982 ; With. 

 Br. PL vol. iv. p. 130 ; Dillw. Brit. Conf. t. 56 ; Roth, Cat. vol. ii. 

 p. ISO, and vol. iii. p. 147. 



Hab. — Parasitical on Fucus vesiculosus and other Algse, between tide-marks ; some- 

 times on rocks and stones. Common on the British coasts. Annual. Summer. 



Geogr. Dist. — Atlantic shores of Europe and America ; Cape Horn (Dr. Hooker). 



Description. — Filaments excessively slender and very much brandied, 

 cylindrical, closely compacted, and interwoven into a shaggy, rope-like, 

 much divided frond, two to eight inches or more in length ; this com- 

 pound frond being veiy dense and compact, almost solid in the centre, 

 and having the outer part formed of free, shaggy filaments ; these 

 filaments are extremely slender, much branched in a very iiTCgular 

 mannei\ Branches flexuous, patent, irregularly scattered, occasionally 

 dichotomous or alternate, the ultimate ones sometimes secund, scarcely 

 tapering, obtuse. Articulations about twice as long as their diameter. 

 Substance very flaccid when young, rather firmer when old, but pretty 

 closely a,dhering to the paper. Colour, in a young state, a fine pleasant 



