V. SPHiEROCOCCOIDE^. 109 



thick as sparrow's quill, gradually attenuate upwards, more or less branching, 

 sometimes very much branched, irregularly decompound, the branches alternately 

 cleft or subdichotomous. The lesser divisions are mostly distichous, either alter- 

 nate or secund, and are commonly virgatc with a few short lateral ramuli, always 

 attenuate to the acute apex. Axils rounded. Conceptacles scattered over all the 

 branches, prominent, as large as rape-seed. Colour when growing in deep water 

 a dark, dull purple or brownish, much paler in shallow places, and fading on expo- 

 sure to a waxy white. Substance rigid, cartilaginous. 



Var. /8. is often six feet long and quite simple, or with a few short lateral ramuli. 

 Its peculiarities appear to result from its place of growth, and intermediate forms 

 connect it with the ordinary much branched varieties. 



.5. Gracilaeia armata^ J. Ag. ; frond robust, cartilaginous, subcompressed, 

 divaricately much branched, distichous ; larger branches forked, their divisions 

 multifid ; lesser branches and the sulnilate, curved ramuli generally secund ; axils 

 very obtuse ; conceptacles ellipsoidal, depressed, scattered on the larger branches. 

 J. Ag. Sp. Alg. 2,^. 591. Sphcerococcus armatus, Kiitz. Sp. Alg. p. 774. 



Hab. Key West, Dr. Wiirdeman, W. H. H. (4<J), Dr. Blodgctt (58 and C8), 

 Prof. Tuomey (15). (v. v.) 



Fronds densely tufted, six to eight inches long, as thick as crow's quill below, 

 attenuated upwards, excessively, but very irregularly branched. All parts of the 

 ramification are much divaricated. The main branches either arise several togetlier, 

 from nearly the same point of a short, erect stem, or they divide in an irregularly 

 dichotomous manner, one arm of the fork being frequently suppressed. In this 

 way the branch becomes zig-zag flexuous with secund divisions. The tendency to 

 secund ramification is greater in the minor divisions, almost all the smaller upper 

 branches being secund and set Avith several linear-subulate, secund, incurved or 

 arching ramuli, the lowermost of which are an inch long, the rest gradually shorter. 

 Colour varying from a dark brownish pur^^le to dirty white. Substance cartilagi- 

 nous, but softer than in G. confervoldes. Conceptacles scattered over the branches, 

 not very prominent, longer than their breadth, obtusely conical, with thick walls. 

 In drying, the frond shrinks much, and imperfectly adheres to paper. 



6. Gracilaria divaricata ; frond cartilagineo-membranaceous, succulent, sub- 

 terete, collapsing and piano-compressed when dry, divaricately much branched, 

 sub distichous ; branches iri'egularly dichotomous, zig-zag or secund, very patent, 

 attenuated to a fine point, copiously furnished with lateral, horizontal, sinq)le or 

 forked ramuli, apices all very acute ; fr ? 



Key West, Prof. Tuomey. (No. 13.) (v. s. in Herb. T.C.D.) 



