Ser. Rhodosperme^. .. Fam. Gelidiacece. 



Plate CXLI. 



ACANTHOCOCGUS EWINGII, Haw. 



Gen. Char. Frond filiform or compressed, cartilaginous, vaguely much 

 branched, composed of three strata ; the medullary stratum of longi- 

 tudinal, interwoven, and anastomosing filaments ; the intermediate of 

 large, roundish, empty cells, smaller outwards ; the cortical, of minute, 

 coloured, vertically seriated cellules. Fructification : 1, half-immersed 

 conceptacles, containing, within a thick-walled pericarp, minute, pedi- 

 cellate, oblong spores, attached to many slender, interlaced, parietal, 

 and internal placentae ; 2, tetraspores ? — Acanthococcus {Hook.fil. et 

 Harv.), from aKav6o<i, a thorn, and kokko^, fruit. 



Frons filiformis v. comfressa, cartilaginea, vage ramosissima, stratis trihts con- 

 texta ; strata medullari fills longitudinalibm intertextis anastomosantibiis, in- 

 termedlo cellulis magnis rotundutis vacuis extus sensim minoribus, corticali 

 cellulis minutis coloratis verticaliter seriatis composito. Fruct.: ], cy&tocarpla 

 semi-imviersa, intra pericai'plum crassuvi sjwi'as miniiias pedicellatas oblongas 

 e placentulis plurimis tenuibiis anastoiuostantibus parietaHbus et internis egre- 

 dientesfoventia ; 3, tetrasporae ? 



Acanthococcus Ewingii ; frond terete, robust, dichotomous, subfastigiate ; 

 ramuli lateral, subsecund, very patent, reflexed or uncinate, acute, 

 subuliform ; conceptacles swelling within short ramuli, below the 

 apex. 



A. Ewingii ; fronde terete robusta dichotoma ccespltosa et subfastigiata ; ramiilis 

 lateralibtis subsecnndis patentissimis refiexis v. hamatis acutls subul'fiormibus, 

 cystocarpiis in ramulis brevibiis infra apicem semi-immersis. 



Acanthococcus Ewingii, Harv. in Herb. (olim). 



Mychodea haraata, Ha7'v. Alg. Exslc. Austr. n. 415. Harv. in Hook. Ft. 

 Tasm. V. 3. /;. 333. 



Hab. Tasmania, Bev. Mr. Ewing. Georgetown and Port Arthur, Tasmam'a, 

 W. H. H. South Australia, JDr. Curdle. Port Fairy, abundantly, 

 r. R. H. 



Geogr. Distr. Southern shores of Australia. North and south coasts of 

 Tasmania. 



Descr. Root a mass of interlaced branches. Fronds densely tufted and often 

 intricately interlaced, six or twelve inches long, 1-1^ line in diameter, rather 

 succulent, excessively branched, cither pretty regularly dichotomous or flex- 

 uous and vaguely branched, the branches directed to all sides, erecto-patent. 



