1^25] Setchell-Gardner : Melanophyceae 607 



Pleurophycus is a monotypic genus as at present known, and was 

 discovered in 1898 on the west coast of Whidbey Island, Washington, 

 where it grows in abundance in the upper sublittoral belt. A little 

 later (1899) Saunders found it cast ashore at Yakutat Bay, Alaska, 

 At Neah Bay, Washington, and on the west coast of Vancouver Island, 

 it grows in abundance. Being so large and having such distinct char- 

 acter, it is rather remarkable that it escaped the notice of collectors 

 for so long. Technically it is nearest in structure to Cymatliaere from 

 which it differs much in general appearance. 



Pleurophycus Gardner! Setchell and Saunders 



Plate 80a 



Holdfast of numerous whorls of rigid, branched hapteres; stipe 

 30-50 cm. long, solid, in mature specimens terete at base, gradually 

 flattened above into the relatively thin, meristematic, transition region ; 

 blade of flabby, elastic consistency, not perforated, undivided, but 

 more or less eroded at the outer end, with single, median, longitudinal, 

 broad, shallow fold, with broad, undulate margins, and with delicate 

 wrinkles along either side of the fold, rounded or cuneate at the base, 

 margin entire; blade 6-9 dm. long, 12-20 cm. (up to 40 cm.) broad; 

 fold 2-4 cm. (up to 15 cm.) broad; color dark olive green. 



Growing on rocks in the upper sublittoral belt. Yakutat Bay, 

 Alaska, to Coos Bay, Oregon. 



Setchell and Saunders, MS., in Setchell,' Notes on Algae I, 1901, 

 p. 123, in Saunders, Alg. Harriman Exp., 1901, p. 427, pi. 52 (descrip- 

 tion) ; Setchell and Gardner, Alg. N.W. Amer., 1903, p. 264; Collins, 

 Holden and Setchell, Phyc. Bor.-Amer. (Exsicc), no. XC ; Tilden, 

 Amer. Alg. (Exsicc), no. 346. 



So far as is known at present, this member of the Laminariaceae, 

 seemingly very closely related to Laminaria., fruits but once and then 

 dies, quite different in this respect from many species of Laminaria 

 which are perennial and regenerate the blade several times. Its 

 present known southern limit of distribution is the mouth of Coos 

 Bay, on the coast of Oregon. It possibly extends many miles farther 

 south, even to the coast of California. 



