364 



This species which in Ihe Danish West Indies does not seem 

 to show any appreciable variations in form is found in very different 

 localities. It is thus found in shallow water near the surface of the 

 sea in rather exposed localities, e. g. on the north side of St. Croix at 

 Green Cay estate and on the south coast at White Bay. In both 

 localities it is gregarious growing in rather large tufts on rocks and 

 stones; in the first-mentioned locality it was partly laid dry. Further, 

 it is found in quite sheltered localities in lagoons, e. g. in the lagoon 



of Christianssled, where it creeps round 

 on the muddy bottom. Also in deeper 

 water it seems to occur commonly. In 

 White Bay I have thus taken it in about 

 10 meters depth, where it was creeping on 

 the Halimeda-gravel which here covers the 

 bottom in great quantities. And in the 

 sea at St. Jan I have taken it off America 

 Hill in about 30 meters. All the speci- 

 mens were in all essentials the same 

 form, only with regard to the size was 

 some difference evident, the leaves of 

 specimens from deep water being very 

 long (16 cm. or more, Fig. 10), while the 

 leaves of specimens from shallow water 

 were much shorter (Fig. 9). Moreover, 

 in the specimens from deep water the 

 leaves show a very uniform growth while 

 these in the specimens from shallow 

 Fig. 9. Caiiierpa tcixi/oiia (Vahl) Ag. water have a Very distinct periodical 

 In shallow water from the lagoon growth, quite in the same way as in 



at Christianssted. (About 1:1.) ^ ... ,. 



L. crassifolia. 



Fig. 9 shows a small specimen from St. Croix, from which island 

 this species, as is well known, was originally described and which 

 is quite like the specimens to be found in the Botanical Museum^ in 

 Copenhagen upon which Vahl founded his description. They are in 

 good accordance with the description of Weber van Bosse 1. c. and 

 with the forma igpica of Svedelius (1. c. p. 112), Syn. Caiilerpa falcata 

 Kütz., Tab. phyc. Bd. VII, tab. 5, fig. V. 



This species is rather common on the shores of the Danish 

 West Indies. 



Geogr. Distrib. The species is found in the West Indies, 

 Florida, Ceylon, Floris and the Sandwich Islands. 



Fig. 10. 

 Caiilerpa taxi- 

 folia (Vahl) Ag. 

 From deeper 



water off 

 America Hill 



(St. .Ian). 

 (About 1:1.) 



