Ser. Rhodosperme/E. ' Fam. Cnjptonemiacea;. 



Plate CCI. 



MYCHODEA COMPRESS A, iTaw. 



Gen. Char. Frond filiform, cartilaginous, alternately decompound, den- 

 droid, composed of three strata ; the medullar?/ stratum of longitudinal 

 and excurrent, interwoven and anastomosing filaments ; the inter- 

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

 of minute, coloured, vertically seriated cellules. Fructification : 1, 

 external, lateral, or terminal conceptacles, containing, within a thick- 

 walled pericarp, a compound nucleus, consisting of many confluent 

 nucleoli, or masses of roundish-angular spores ; 2, zonate tetraspores, 

 dispersed in the branches and ramuli. — Mychodea [Harv.], from 

 fivxo'i, an internal cavity, or secret chamber, alluding to the large 

 empty cells of the intermediate stratum of the frond. 



Frons JiUformis, cartUnfjinea, alterne deeoniposita, dendrvidea, stratis trihus con- 

 texta ; strata medullari fills lomjltudlnalUms et excurrentibus intertoxtis ana- 

 stomosantihus, intermedio cellulis maximis rotiaidalls vacuis extus sensim mi- 

 noribus, coriicali cellulis minutis coloratis verticallter seriatis composito. 

 Fruct. : l,favellidia intra pericai-plum externum later ale v. terminate excepta ; 

 2, tetrasporcB zonatim dix'isce, sparsri^, frondi Immersee. 



Mychodea compressa ; frond cartilaginous, robust, piano-compressed, irre- 

 gularly dichotomous; lacinise closely pinnated with slender, simi)le 

 or pinnulate distichous ramuli ; ceramidia minute, near the tips of the 

 ramuli. 



M. compressa ; fronde cartilagiue.a robusta plano-compressa var/e dicliotorna ; 

 laciniis creberrime pimmtis ; pimmlis disticJtis filiformibus simplicibus furca- 

 tisve nunc subpimmlatis ; cystocarpiis minimis sub apicibus ramuturum semi- 

 immersis. 



Mychodea compressa, Ilarv. Alg. Austr. F.vsic. n. 414. 



Hab. Phillip Island, A^estern Port, W. R. H. 



Geogr. Distr. Victoria. 



Descr. Root discoid. Frond 8-16 inches to two feet high, forked or altornately 

 divided, or repeatedly but irref^uhirly dichotomous, conipros!?(!d, the wider 

 portions almost flattened, 1-4 lines wide, everywhere closely pinnnted with 

 slender, distichous ramuli, whicli issue from the sharper edge of the i)ranch. 

 Ramuli 1-1 J- inch long, slender, subeompressed, the lesser ones nearly 

 terete, slightly constricted at base, acute, either quite simple or forked, 

 naked or having a fev\r lateral, distant pinnules, widely sjjrending or hori- 

 zontal. Conceptacles minute, nearly immersed toward but below the ends 

 of tlie pinnules. Colour a dull red, sometimes pale, and almost horn-colour, 



