54 ^''^i- XLIII., Art. 1.— K. Yondo: 



geweisen werden, welche drei Eeihen von Sporophyllon hatten und 

 somit wenigstens vier Jaln'e alt gewesen sein mnssten, da man 

 w^olil voraussetzen darf, dass Individuen von Alaria esculenta (L.) 

 Geev. keine Sporophyllen erzeugen, bevor sie wenigstens ein Jahr 

 alt sind." There is no doubt that the stipe of Alaria elongates 

 bv the secondary growth. But how the " drei Eeihen von Sporo- 

 phyllen " could be distinguished in a matured form of A. esculenta 

 GiŒV. and how they could be applied for the estimation of the 

 age of an Alaria plant, I have no idea. 



BÖEGESEX^) denies the periodical sheddings of the blade of A. 

 esculenta. He states that " the leaf keeps on growing at its base 

 duriug the greater part of the year, while the apex is continuously 

 so to speak worn away by the waves." He seems to have omitted 

 to mention the life-length of the plant. But it may be understood 

 from what he states that he thinks the plant perennial. In The 

 Algae- vegetation of the Färöese coasts he seems also to have said 

 nothing about the stages of development of A. esculenta Geev. in 

 different seasons, thouglr he repeatedly touches on it in describing 

 its habit. In explaining Plate XIX of the work, he writes : — 

 among the Hlnumihalia are young Alaria esculenta, and . . . . " I 

 should like to know how young they were, whether sporophyll- 

 bearing or not. I agree of course with Böegesen in denying the 

 periodical shedding of the blades of Alaria, if he means by peri- 

 odical more than once in the whole life of a plant at certain fixed 

 intervals. It is a fact with our species of Alaria that the first- 

 year blade is for the greater part worn away during the winter 

 and only a certain portion remains to be shed in the next early 

 spring. The second -year blade generally begins its growth with 

 less breadth than the base of the first-year blade and so the 



1) Bop.oESEN : Note on the Question whether .1. esculenta sheds its Lamina &c.., p. 200. 



