A Monograph of the. Genus Alaria. 121 



gradually broadened and terete or ancipitous upwards, 2-3 cm/-= in 

 width, quickly narrowed at the transition point, lower half of the 

 length naked, upper half bearing the sporophylls. Midrib smooth, 

 terete, elevated above the blade equally on both surfaces with 

 roundish edges. Sporophylls metasoric, numerous, pinnately arranged 

 on both margins of the anticipitous region of the stipe, some lower- 

 most at wide intervals (6-10 mm.*), but middle and upper ones 

 approximate, adding new ones successively upwards, linear -cuneate, 

 30-60 cm."--= in length, 3-7 cm.* in breadth, tapering gently down- 

 w^ards into cyhndrical petioles; tip of sporophyll obtuse or 

 roundish ; margin undulating plicate. Sorus in a continuous patch, 

 on both surfaces of each sporophyll, occupying lower half area of 

 the surface except a narrow border along the margin, and fading 

 downwards near the base of the sporophyll. 



Remarks on the sijnonyms. This is the second largest Alaria 

 hitherto known. It is specifically described as attaining an enor- 

 mous size in every part, to such extent as has never hitherto been 

 reported of other allied species. In Spetzbergens Thallophyter, II, 

 p. 10, K.JELLMAN reports the largest specimen he has measured:— 

 stipe, 125 cm. long, 2 cm. in diameter, bade over 100 cm. long, 30 cm. 

 broad, sporophyhs 60 cm. long, 7 cm. broad. The largest specimen 

 of A. granclifolia in the Agardhian Herbarium at Lund has the stipe 

 much shorter, but in other parts nearly the same measurement. 



The original specimens of the present species at Lund are not 

 many in number so that we are unable to trace all modifications 

 of fronds according to the age of the plant. Specimen No. 2256, 

 which is called forma adulta by J. Agardh, is the most complete 

 one among the set. It has a certain resemblance to a fully grown 

 form of A. macroptera, but its sporophylls are long linear, taper- 

 ing downwards, and the blade is not corrugated in the way 



