6 Dansk Botanisk Arkiv, Bd. 2. Nr. 6. 



Later on (1854) W. H. Harvey x during his investigations of 

 the West Australian Marine Algæ met with sea-grasses, and in 

 his reports on the algæ he mentions them incidentally. Thus when 

 describing the algal vegetation of King George's Sound he states 

 (1855, p. 527): "On the leaves of Zostera and on the stems of 

 Caulinia antarctica, both of which form vast meadows in water 

 from two to six feet deep, grows ...."; further he mentions the 

 same two species when reporting on the Algæ off Rottnest Island 

 and Fremantle (1. c. p. 528 and p. 529). 



The two species are now known under the names Cymodocea 

 antarctica Endl. (= Ruppia a. Labill, Caulinia a. R. Br.) and 

 Posidonia australis Hook f. (Harvey's Zostera). It appears from 

 these reports that they play an important role in the marine 

 vegetation of the south-western coast of West -Australia from 

 Albany in the south to Sharks Bay in the north. 



Since the time of Harvey's visit little has been added to our 

 knowledge of the sea-grasses of West Australia. A few interesting 

 notes are found in a report on sea-grasses from the Indian Ocean 

 published by P. Ascherson 2 . Dr. Naumann, the doctor of the 

 German warship "Gazelle" then engaged in deep sea soundings 

 etc. in the Indian Ocean, became interested in the study of sea- 

 grasses, and from him P. Ascherson received several letters and 

 specimens of sea-grasses. As regards West Australia Dr. Naumann 

 says: "Die Gazelle besuchte Ende April [1875] Australien an zwei 

 Orten, an der Westküste bei Cap Inscription, der Nordspitze von 

 Dirk Hartog Island, und in Nordwesten, hier innerhalb des Dam- 

 pier-Archipels beim Fastlande ankernd. An ersterem Orte wurde 

 aus dem Ankergrunde (7 Faden tief) viel langhalmiges, zum Teil 

 ziemlich frisch aussehendes Seegras mit dem Schleppnetz herauf- 

 gebracht [This species was not received by Ascherson, probably 

 it was Posidonia]. Am Strande der Insel bemerkte ich, fast im 

 Sande in der Brandung vergraben, einige Stückchen des beifolgenden 

 kurzhalmigen Seegrases [Cymodocea antarctica], das jedenfalls dort, 

 aber nur vereinzelt wuchs. Auch war hier ein wenig der vorhin 

 genannten Art mit langen Halmen aufgespült. In der Nähe der 

 Nordwestspitze Australiens, im N.W. der Montebello- Inseln brachte 

 das Oberflächennetz abermals Seegras aus dem Meere, aber nur 



1 Harvey, W. H. Some Account of the Marine Botany of the Colony 

 of Western Australia. Transact. R. Irish Acad. vol. XXII, Part V, 

 1855. 



2 P. Ascherson: Ueber Meeresphanerogamen des indischen Ozeans und 

 indischen Archipels. Botanische Zeitung 1875, pp. 761—765. 



