V. RHODOMELACE.E. 21 



Hab. On Alg£e, 6ce. near low water mark. Annual. A common plant in Long 

 Island Sound. Newport, Pro/'. i)a(%. New Bedford, Z)/-. 7?oc/<^. Little Compton 

 &c. Mr. Olney. Seaconnot, Mr. Congdon. New York Harbour, Prof. Bailey., Mr. 

 Hooper, and Mr. Calvei'ley, c^'c. (v. v.) 



Fronds densely tufted, 0-8 inches long, as thick as hog's bristle, generally with a 

 short stem soon dividing into several long, rodlike branches. Branches erect, 4-5 

 inches long, simple or once or twice compound, set at short intervals with slender 

 ramuli, which at first are simple, and afterwards pinnulated or even bipinnulated 

 with similar smaller ramuli. The ramuli spread to every side and are very gener- 

 ally curved, from a quarter to half an inch long, much attenuated to the base, 

 somewhat narrowed upwards, but ending in a blunted, roundish point The con- 

 ceptacles are ovate, on little stalks rising from the sides of the ramuli ; and the 

 tetraspores are generally confined to the apices. Colour, when growing in deep 

 water, a fine brownish purple. In fresh water it soon gives out a rose-coloured 

 fluid which stains the paper on which the specimen is displayed, and to whicli it 

 closely adheres in drying. Substance soft and tender. 



This plant varies very much in ramification. The specimens described by Dr. 

 Montagne appear to have been but little branched, the branches springing near the 

 base. I have seen such, but they do not convey an adequate idea of the ordinary 

 form, which is usually much more decompound. Some specimens have a leading, 

 stem closely pinnated with branches ; and in others the branches are bipinnate 

 Avith very densely set, plumose ramuli. As a species it is almost exactly inter- 

 mediate between Ch. daf^yphylla and Ch. tenuiss'tma., having the slender habit of 

 the latter, and ramuli almost as blunt as in the former, though much more 

 attenuated. 



Plate XVIII. A. Fig. 1. Ghondria Bailey ana., the natural size. Fig. 2, portion 

 of a branch, with ramuli and tetrasporic fruit ; jig. 3, apex with tetraspores ; Jig. 4, 

 a tetraspore ; fig. 5, raraulus with conceptacles ; fig. 6, a conceptacle ; all more or 

 less highly magnified. 



4. Choxdria tenuissitna, Ag. ; frond slender, terete, irregularly divided ; branches 

 long and virgate, clothed with very slender, setaceous ramuli, which taper much to 

 the base and the acute apex. Ag. Syst. Alg. p. -205. Laurencia tenuissima, Grev. — 

 Harv. Phyc. Brit. t. 198. Ahidium tenuissimum, Kiitz. Sp. Alg, p. %A'6. Fucus 

 tmuissimus, Turn. Hist. t. 100. E. Bot. t. 1882. (Tab. X'^'III. F.) 



Hab. Boston Bay, and New Haven, Dr. Durkee. Hell Gate, New York, Mr. 

 Hooper, (v. v.) 



Fronds 4-G inches long, about twice as thick as hog's bristle, with an undivided 

 stem set with lateral, mostly alternate spreading branches. Branches simple or 

 pinnated with a second series of similar branches, and furnislied throughout with 



