THE FLORA OF NEBRASKA. 12o 



ments in fruiting vorticels 900 n long, 90 /i broad, secondary sogmonts 500 

 n loni^, SO n wide, tertiary segtuonts 1-1.5 mm. wide, 85 /* long tipped with a 

 sharp, cuspidate cell as in the spocie.s; carpogones as iu the species. 



The plant found here is very much smaller than any described form of N. 

 ti-ansluccns. The general size and habit is that of N. teiiuinsiiiKi (Dusv.) 

 Coss. & GicRM. form. 7niii<)r A. Br., but the spore-characters and tlio 

 structure of the mucrouate colls of tlio loaves show undoubted connec- 

 tion witli X trdHnInccns. 



PI. XXIX., I'^ig. 8, branch with fruiting vorticel xoO; Fig. '>, end-cells of leaf- 

 let x350. 



[TOLYPELLA has the general habit of Nitella, from which it may be distin- 

 guished by the following characters: leaves with 2-3 nodes bearing primary 

 leaflets, always monoecious, antherids lateral, often with long basal cell, 

 carpogones clustered. No species of tlie genus have as yet been observed in 

 X'obraska, but from tlio reported distribution of several of them it is 

 liliely that some will be found.] 



Family.-CHAREAE. 



Crown of the carpogono made up of five colls; stems and leaves with or without corti- 

 cation; stipules at the base of the loaf whorls, more or less developed, one-celled; leaves 

 (j"15 in a whorl; carpogones and antherids on the upper sides of the leaves, spore usually 

 coated with a calcareous layer. 



The family contains four genera, of which only one is here represented. 



1. CHARA L. Sp. PI. irji3. 1753. 



The characters of the family. 

 Etymology: Greek x"-!'", joy. 



Chara orti-oiiata Ziz. in X. Br. Alg. Bot. Zeit. 4, 59. 1835. 



Plants usually largo, from a few oeatiraetors to a meter long, short forms 

 usually much branched with firm, broad stems and leaves, 1-1.5 mm.; long 

 forms with cells less firm and narrower, no cortication, .stipules at the 

 base of the leaves forming a simple whorl; leaves long, 3-10 cells, ending 

 in a crown of 3-5 mucronate cells; mouoeciou.s. carpogones and antherids 

 produced usually at all the nodes of the leaves, antherids variable, 2.50- 

 300 // in diam., carpogones variable, crown large, cells rather long, usually 

 spreading, sometimes conuivent; spore 450-560 ,«, black, bracts e.\tremely 

 variable, from very much shorter than the carpogone to three times as 

 long — quite variable on the same plant. 



Common all over the state. 



The specimens collected at York in 1893 by Miss Hopper are long, slender 

 plants, spores 450-504x270-306 //, bracts very short, 3-5 times as long as 

 wide, acuminate, leaves 3-G celled PI. XXX., Pig. 1, part of plant natural 

 size; Fig. 4, carpogone x50. The specimens in the herbarium of the 

 Botanical Survey from Cherry county and from Greenwood are larger 

 and more branched; nucleus (Greenwood specimens) 504-540x280-300 //; 

 bracts 1-3 times as long as the carpogone; (Cherry county specimens) 

 540-.55GX.300-320 //, bracts about equal to the carpogone. 



PI. XXX., Fig. 2, part of plant, natural size; Fig. .3, node with carpogones x50; 

 Fig. 5, young carpogones and antherids x.50; Fig. 6, stem with bases of 

 leaves showing stipules x25; Fig. 7, end-cells of leaf x50. 



