92 Vol. XLIir., Alt. 1— K. Yendo: 



shap3 of the blade of Alaria, leaves me with little doubt about 

 uniting the two species into one. 



Tn describing A. crispa as an independent species, Kjellman 

 seems to have put too much importance on the crispated base of 

 the blade as well as on the characters shown in the cross sections 

 of the midrib. These two points, however, as far as they concern 

 the present case, can hardly be taken as specific distinctions. Tlie 

 shape of the cross section of the midrib and the distribution of 

 the tissue elements shown in it, are to some extent variable, as 

 lias boon demonstrated before. The crispation of the base of the 

 blade is a character commonly met with in those Alaria which 

 liave a suddenly narrowed base. It shows that the growth of the 

 blade in length is much quicker than that of the midrib at the 

 transition region, and above this region the growth of the blade in 

 width is more vigorous than in length, the midrib keeping nearly 

 constant speed in the growth in length. 



Comparing the type specimen of A. dolichorhachis Kjellm. 

 with the illustrations in the Algae of the Arctic Sea, I think I 

 have reason to say that they are quite misleading though not un- 

 true. In the type, the sporophylls are much condensed within a 

 short length of the stipe and have undulated margins ; the blade 

 is crispated or plicated. Kjellman himself has fully noticed the 

 resemblance of this species and A. crispa. The types of these 

 two are indeed inseparable. By merely consulting the illustrations 

 of the former in Algae of the Arctic Sea and the latter in Bering- 

 hafvets Algflora, his remark on the affinity of both may not bo 

 properly understood. 



A specimen from Petropaulowsk with deformed frond is 

 kept in the herbarium of the Academy of Sciences of Petrograd 

 determined by Kupkecht as " Alaria cscidenta var. latifolia forma 



