Ser. Rhodosperme^e. Fam. Rhodomelea. 



Plate CVIII. 



AMANSIA LINEARIS, Harv. 



Gen. Char. Frond flat, midribbed, pinnatifid or proliferous, transversely 

 striate, membranaceous ; the membrane formed of hexagonal cells, of 

 equal length, arranged in obliquely transverse lines or striae, destitute 

 of cortical cellules. Fructification : 1, ovate or globose ceratnidia, 

 containing a tuft of pear-shaped spores ; 2, simple or branched, mar- 

 ginal or superficial stichidia, containing tetraspores in a double row. 

 — Amansia {Lamour.), in honour of M. Amans, a French phycolo- 

 gist. 



Frons plana, costata, p'mnatifida v. prolifera, transvey'sim striata, membranacea ; 

 lamina ex cellulis oblongis liexahedris cequalibiis oblique trathwersim ordinatis 

 conflata ; cellulis corticalibus nullis. Fruct. : 1, ceramidia ; 3, sticJiidia mar- 

 ginalia v. super ficialia, tetrasporas biseriafas foventia. 



Amansia linearis ; frond narrow-linear, obtuse, quite simple, and very en- 

 tire, proliferous from the slender midrib, with leaflets of a similar 

 form ; ceramidia sessile on the midrib of minute fruit-leaves ; tetra- 

 spores uniseriate, at each side of the midrib of similar fruit-leaves. 



A. linearis ; fronde anguste lineari obtusa simplicissima integerrimaque e casta 

 tenui prolifera, foliolis frondi similibus ; ceramidiis ovatis tetrasporisqiie in 

 sporophyllis propriis evolutis, ceraynidiis in costa sessilibus, tetrasporis utroque 

 latere castes uniseriatis. 



Amansia linearis, Harv. Alg. Austr. Exsic. n. 118. 



Delesseria Amansioides, Sand, in Linn. v. 25. j?. 690 (??), 



Hab. Parasitical on the smaller Algse, especially on Ballia callitrieJia. 

 Near the mouth of the Glenelg River, Lr. Curdie. Port Fairy, 

 W.H.H. 



Geogr. Distr. South coast of AustraUa. 



Descr. Root a minute disc. Fronds 3-6-8 inches long, 1-1 1^ line in breadth, 

 linear, tapering to an acute base, minutely stipitate, obtuse or emarginate, 

 quite simple, with a perfectly entire and flat margin, traversed by a slender 

 percurrent midrib. This primary or generating frond throws off from its 

 midrib numerous similar but smaller fronds, which issue very irregularly, 

 though frequently in secund order ; these again emit others ; and thus by 

 repeated proliferous gi'owth, a compound, much branched frond is at length 

 formed. The lamina is composed of hexagonal cells, set in obHquely trans- 

 verse lines, and of equal length and breadth. Fruit of both sorts is borne 

 on special fruit-leaves, springing from the midribs, and resembling the pri- 



