263 



Planta tenue filamentosa, decomposite pinnata, usque 15 cm. 

 longa. Rami filamentosi, primo nudi, demum rhizoidibus 

 corticati, alterne pinnati. Pinnae nudae, breves, vix 1 mm. 

 longae. Pinnulae insigniter dispositae, duae infimae facie 

 superiore, ceterae facie inferiore pinnarum ortae. Gystocarpia in 

 pinnis brevibus fertilibus terminalia. Tetrasporangia in pinnulis 

 duabus infimis sparsa, terminalia aut lateraliter adfixa, sessilia. 



Ceylon. Pantura, Ferguson, No. 20. 



An exceedingly beautiful and delicate species having the habit 

 of a Plumaria or a Dasija. The arrangement of the pinnae and 

 pinnulae is remarkable and very constant. The lowest articula- 

 tions of the pinna remain at first unbranched, whilst from the 

 remaining articulations pinnulae are given off but always from 

 the lower side. After some time, the two lowest articulations also 

 give rise to pinnulae, but on the upper side only; these last- 

 formed pinnulae become branched and bear tetraspores. The 

 tetraspores appear to be confined to this position and the number 

 produced is consequently small. The poorness of the tetraspore 

 production is in marked contrast to many allied species, but is in 

 agreement with such a plant as Plumaria pellucida, Schmitz. 

 The arrangement of the pinnae and pinnulae shown in fig. 1 is 

 characteristic, though for the sake of clearness, a somewhat slender 

 and elongated shoot was selected. As a rule the shoots are more 

 densely set with pinnae, the branches of which overlap thickly ; 

 at the same time the frond does not lose its delicate and wavy 

 character.* 



Another point in the structure of this species which demands 

 attention is the method of cortication. The cortex is not composed ol 

 a dense cellular tissue as is common in the Ptilotae, but of a system 

 of filaments resembling those found in Callithamnum, which give 

 it a loose spongy texture. The origin of the filaments has not 

 been made out with certainty, but there is little doubt that tnej 

 arise from an outgrowth of the basal cell of a lateral branch 

 (pinna) as in Callithamnion and as do the cells of the true cortex 

 in Ptilota. 



The systematic position of the species remains to !»^*»"*' 

 The delicate fronds with fine main filaments remaining Jjnwrti- 

 cated for some distance from the apex, and the met nw . <a 

 thickening, are characters more in common with ™™a> 

 (especially such species as P. Harveyi, Schmitz and ££«"»** 

 Schmitz) than with Euptihta. Though «PfW^^™^ f5JL£ 

 the points just mentioned there is one important feature n which 

 it differs, viz., the oblique apical cell, and resultant aheinate 

 branching ; on account of this character the ™t*J™J°™ 

 led to place the plant in Euptilola. This genu* though usually 



* In one specimen (a cystocarpic plant) ^e constancy of tto ^^^J 

 was not maintained. The "pinnae instead of P^^J^SSS^ much as is 

 above described were frequently found to *£* g^fig^™^^ were 

 seen in the extreme apex of a mam branch ;, Cortic* ™ horfc The8e 



not present as in the main shoots, and the P«»J J° ™™^ innae and the 



modified pinnae are intermediate in form ^Z^ t ^%2lTmInc G cy S too^, 

 lon<r shnnfo • n,o„ nnnMr ♦« Ho n f the. same order as tno»e mi P 1W j j ... , r 



