Chora.] ch a raceme. 245 



are said to arrive at a great size where these plants abound, 

 feeding perhaps on their fruit and, more greedily, on the insects 

 which they necessarily harbour. 



1. Chara. Vaill. 



(Character t/ie same as that of the Order.) — Name; its 

 origin unknown. 



* More or less pellucid and flexible, not striated. (Nitella. Ag.) 



1. C. translucens, Pers. (translucent Chara) ; elongated 

 smooth flaccid glossy and pellucid, branches of the whorls elon- 

 gated patent obtuse simple with a short point, nucules and 

 globules upon the smaller ramuli scarcely bracteated. — Pers. 

 Syn.Pl. v. 2. p. 531. E. Bot. t. 1703. E. FL v. 1. p. 8.— 

 Nitella translucens, Ag. Syst. Alg.p. 124. 



Deep stagnant pools near Shrewsbury; Browston, Suffolk; Bagnley 

 moor, Cheshire, Mr. Wilson. Several places in Scotland. — This is 

 the largest the brightest coloured and most glossy of any of our 

 species. Vaillant and Sir Jas. E. Smith describe the branches as joint- 

 ed; but this appearance is, I think, wholly owing to a fold in the mem- 

 brane of the tube, which is sometimes transverse and sometimes oblique. 



2. C. flexilis, Linn, (flaccid Chara) ; smooth flaccid some- 

 what glossy and pellucid much and frequently dichotomous, 

 branches of the whorls simple or divided obtuse, nucules few, 

 scarcely bracteated — E. Bot. t. 1070. E. Fl. v. 1. p. 7.— 

 Nitella flexilis, and opaca, Ag. Syst. Alg. p. 124. 



Ditches, lakes, and still waters, frequent. — Professor Agardh's Xittllu 

 opaca, according to specimens I have received from him, only differs 

 from the truvflr.ritis in having a partial incrustation and hence being more 

 opaque. Mr. W. H. Harvey finds a variety in the lake of Killarney near 

 Mucrnss, with the branches of the whorls more elongated than UsuUi, 

 and fertile ramuli nestled among them. Mr. Born r observes the nucules 

 and globules to be intermixed and clustered 



3. C. nidifica^ (Kd. (clash red Chara) ; smooth flaccid BOHM 



what glossy ami pellucid simple below, primary whorled branches 

 limple elongated, fertile ones very numerous crowded and pro- 

 liferous, nucules separated from the globules on the same plant 



(Ii<anr) bracteated.— -11. Daa./.TCA. B. livt.t. 170:}. JR /'/. 

 /•. \. j>. S. — Xihlla nidi/ica. Ag. Sgsl. Alg. p, 125. 



In saltwater cKfeches at S h orcham, Bosses, and (lev, Norfolk. Mr. 



r, r. — This i^ a BtOUter plant than ('. flc.ulis and more slender than 



C. tiansht.t ,ts ; distinguished from both, chiefly, as far as I can discover, 

 by the densely crowded and proliferous fertile whorls of branches. 

 Mr. Borref observes that it is monoecious. Smith says that in the indi- 

 viduals he receive. I fr«»m Shoreham no nucules could DC found, :md 



in those 1 from ('lev the globule was stalked; In some specimens the 

 globule accompanied the nucule. 



I. C?. gracilis. Sm. ($UndeT Chara); gmOOth trail-parent 



shining, whorled branches acute repeated!} forked often fertile 



