Sec. CHLOROSPERMEiE. Fam. Si_p/wnacea. 



Plate CLXVIl. 



CAULERPA SONDERI, 3fuelL 



Gen. Char. Frond consisting of prostrate surculi, rooting from their 

 lower surface, and throwing up erect branches (or secondary frouds) 

 of various shapes. Sabdauce horny-membranous, destitute of cal- 

 careous matter. Structure unicellular, the cell continuous, strength- 

 ened internally by a spongy network of anastomosing filaments, and 

 filled with semifluid, grumous matter. Fructification unknown. — 

 Caulerpa {Lamx.), from KavX.o'^, a stem, and kpTTw, to creep. 



Fro7is ex snrcuUs prostratis hie illic radicantibus et ramis erectis poIymo^yMs 

 formata. Substantia corneo-meinbranacea. Striictiira unicellulosa, cellula 

 membrana coiitinua Jiyalina intnsfilis cartilagineis tenuissimis a7iastomosanti- 

 bus firmata et endocliromate dmso viridi repleta. Fr. ignota. 



Caulerpa Sonderi; surculus robust, densely covered with cylindrical, 

 forked scales ; frond erect, scaly, oblong, densely beset on all sides 

 with short, slender branches ; brandies pectinato-pinnate ; pinnules 

 very close, alternate, distichous (sometimes irregular), linear-filiform, 

 bimucronulate. 



C. Sonderi ; surculo crasso squamidis cyrmdraceis farcatis dense obsesso ; fronde 



erecta scpiamosa oblonga qimqziavermm densissime ramosa, ramis tenuibus bre- 



vibus pectinato-pinnatis, pinnulis crehris alternis distichis (mincvagis) lineari- 



filiformibus bimucronnlatis. 



Caulerpa Sonderi, F. Mvell. in Linn. 1852, p. 661. So7id. in Linn. v. 26. 



p. 507. 

 Caulerpa obscura, Sond. in PI. Freiss. v. 2. p. 150. Kilt;:. Sp. Alg. p. 497. 



Ft. Tasm. ». 2. ;?. 337. 

 Caulerpa splendida, Grev. in An. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2. v. li. p. 127. t. 10. 

 Hab. Western Australia, Preiss. Abundant ; Eottnest and Garden Islands, 

 and at King George's Sound, W. H. H., Geo. Clifton. Lefebre Pen- 

 insula, Br. Mueller. S. Australia, Br. Curdle. Port Fairy, Port 

 Phillip Heads, and Western Port, W. H. H. Bass's Straits, Mr. J. 

 E. Cox. Tasmania, R. Gunn. 

 Geogr. Distr. Western and southern shores of Australia. Tasmania. 

 Descr. Surculus 6-13 inches long, 2-3 lines in diameter, eraittii)g- many long, 

 much branched roots, and densely clothed on all sides with coarse, rigid, 

 forked or bipartite scales. Similar scales clothe the lower part of the stem, 

 or stipes, and gradually lengthen out into branches upwards. The outline 

 of the frond is narrow-oblong. The branches are very closely crowded in 

 some, more laxly in other specimens, they are 1-1| inch long, and closely 



