368 ' 32 



The plant is found in a depth of about 20—30 meters where it creeps on 

 the sandy bottom. 



It has hitherto been found: at St Thomas in the sea west of Water Island; 

 St. Jan in the sound between St. Thomas and St. Jan off Christiansfort; in the 

 sea to the north of St. Jan west of Tortola and off Moho Bay and Linster Bay. 

 Murray (23, p. 32) mentions the species from St. Thomas where it was found by 

 the Challenger Expedition. 



Geogr. Distrib. This species is distinctly Atlantic-American species and is 

 found in the West Indies and Florida only. 



8. Caulerpa cupressoides (Vahl) Ag. Weber van Bosse emend. 



Weber van Bosse, Monographie, p. 323. 



Fucus cupressoides Vahl, En deel kryplogamiske Planter fra St. Croix. Skrivter af 

 Naturhistorie-Selskabet, 5te Bind, 2det Hefte, Kiøbenhavn 1802, p. 29. 



Ex s i ce. Wittrock & Nordstedt. Algæ exsicc. 



var. mamillosa (Mont.) Weber van Bosse, Monographie, p. 332. (Fig. 13.) 



var. typica Weber van Bosse, Monographie, p. 327. (Fig. 14, 15, 16.) 



var. plumarloides n. var. 



A rather large form with somewhat flabby, spread branches. The 

 ramuli occur both in two and three rows; they are bent upward, 

 cylindrical, 3-4 times, sometimes even longer, the breadth of the 

 midrib. This form has most often a very clearly marked periodical 

 growth. (Fig. 17.) 



var. flabellata n. var. 



A rather richly dichotomousLy ramified form with the branches 

 lying nearly in the same plane, so that the erect shoot becomes more 

 or less distinctly flabellate. The ramuli are rather short, 1 — 3 times 

 as long as the midrib. (Fig. 18 and 19.) 



var. elegans (Crouan) Weber van Bosse, Monographie, p. 336. 



Clearly dichotomously ramified with the branches lying in the 

 same plane; the ramuli long, 3 — 6 or more times longer than the 

 midrib. (Fig. 20.) 



I have been somewhat uncertain as to how far Vahl is really to be kept as 

 author of the species or if his name has to be replaced by West. If we look in 

 the above mentioned paper by Vahl, namely, we find not only that the species- 

 name cupressoides is given the plant by West, who was a teacher in Christianssted 

 at St. Croix and who collected the plant, but that he also transmitted with the 

 material which he sent to Vahl a short description, which is reprinted by the latter. 

 In retaining Vahl as the author of the species my view is that the species must be 

 said to be described under the authority of this author. Vahl also writes in the 



