61 



Chrysymenia dolichopoda J. Ag. which has been mixed up in this 

 tangle of synonymy (cf. J. Ag., Anal. Alg., Cont. V, p. 121, 1899) 

 is simply C. pseudodichotoma Farlow, as seemed apparent even be- 

 fore the specimens in Herb. J. Agardh were examined. Agardh had 

 evidently overlooked in his last account (loc. cit.) the paper by Far- 

 low (Bull. Torrey Botan. Club, voi. io, pp. i-3, pi. 88, 1889) in 

 which data were given for preventing farther confusion. 



One of the most interesting of the parasitic Florideae found on 

 the Californian coast, is not infrequently cast ashore, particularly in 

 the autumn and winter months, in the vicinity of Monterey. It seems 

 to be an inhabitant of deep water (lower sublitoral zone) sirice I 

 have not been able to discover it growing, even when searched for 

 at the very lowest tides, but a careful search among the algae 

 thrown up on the beaches, vvill seldom fail to find it. It is com- 

 monly associated with Chlorochytrium inclusimi Kjellm., inhabiting 

 the fronds of one or more species of membranous red algae which 

 have the habit of Callymenia-species. The host has never been found 

 with organs of fructification, but it has the habit, in general of Cai- 

 lymenia Phyllophora f. orbicularìs Setchell and Gardner. The texture 

 is, however, never so thick as is usuai in that species. On the other 

 hand, some specimens of the host plant resemble Callymenia reni- 

 fortnis (Turn.) J. Ag. in color and being more delicate in texture, 

 but stili too cartilaginous for that species. The surface, too, is fìnely 

 rugulose, but the surface markings and the thinness of the frond 

 may both be due to the extent to which the frond is usually para- 

 sitized by the two species inhabiting it. I find, in Herb. J. Agardh, 

 a frond of this host-plant placed under Meredilhia Californica]. Ag., 

 with the red parasite just appearing upon it. Meredilhia Californica, 

 however, is founded on three specimens, ali belonging to different 

 species. An examination of the species cover in Herb. J. Agardh, 

 shows that one specimen is the host of our parasite, another spe- 

 cimen belongs to Cryptonemia obovata J. Ag., while the third and 

 only cystocarpic specimen, certainly belongs to Callymenia renifor- 

 mis (Turn.) J. Ag. 



The parasite is thickly scattered over both surfaces of the frond 

 of the host plant, forming small (i-3 mm. in diameter), slightly con- 

 vex, orbicular, dark red patches looking like dark warts. They first 



