Ser. Rhodosperme^e. Fam. Spharococcoidece. 



Plate CCX. 



CURDIEA OBTUSATA, iiarv. 



Gen. Char, Frond flat, coriaceo-cartilaginous, laciniate, composed of two 

 strata of cells ; the inner stratum consisting of roundish angular cells, 

 the outer of very minute, aggregated, subvertically seriated, coloured 

 cellules. Fruct'ificaiion : 1, globose, sessile coccidia, containing, witli- 

 in a very thick pericarp, minute spores arranged in spore-threads is- 

 suing from a large, fleshy central placenta ; cruciate tetrasjiores 

 formed in superficial, intramarginal warts [nemathecia) . — Curdiea 

 (Rarv.), in honour of Dr. Curdie, of Tandarook, Geelong, an early 

 observer of Australian Algae. 



Frons plana, coriaceo-cartilaginea, laciniata, duplici strata constituta ; cellulis 

 hiterioi'ibus rohmdato-angulatis majoribm extiis sensim ininoridiis, exterioribus 

 V. periphericis minimis coloratis verticallter subseriatis. Fnict. : 1, coccidia 

 globosa sessilia, sporas minutas injilis ex placenta carnosa centrali radiantibus 

 evolutas intra pericarpimn cassum foventia ; 2, tetrasporcB cruciatim divisce, 

 in nematheciis intramarginalibus oblongis superjicialibus evolutce. — Alga rubro- 

 sanguinea, siccitate rigida. 



Curdiea ohtusata; frond brownish-red, membranaceo-coriaceous, irregularly 

 dichotomous, multipartite ; axils and apices rounded or very obtuse; 

 segments broadly linear, the broader subcuueate ; coccidia scattered 

 on the disc, depresso-umbilicate ; nemathecia oval, prominent on both 

 surfaces of the frond, seriated along the larger segments and under 

 tlie axils. 

 C. obtusa ; fronde fusco-rubra membranaceo-coriacea vage dichotoma multipar- 

 tita ; axillis apiclbusque obtusissimis ; laciniis lato-linearibus v. cuneatis ; coc- 

 cidiis in discofrondis sessilibus sparsis depresso-nmbilicaiis; nematheciis ovalibus 

 in utraque pagina subprominentibus secus lacinias majores et infra axillas po- 

 sitis. 



Rhodymenia obtusata, Sond. ! in PL Preiss. v. 2. p. 191. /. Ag. Sp. Jig. 

 V. 2. p. 381. Harv. Alg. Aust. Exsic. n. 382. 



SpHjErococcus obtusatus, Kiilz. Sp. Alg. p. 1S4. 



Gymnogongrus firmus, ArescJi. in Ups. Trans, ser. 3. v. 1. p. 354. 



Hab. Swan River, Preiss, Mylne. Rottnest Island, W. Australia ; and 

 Western Port, Victoria, W. 11. H. Port Phillip, Areschoug. Port 

 Phillip Heads, 1\ E. Raiolinson (with cystocarps). 



Geogr. Distr. Western and southern shores of Australia. 



Descr. Pi.oot discoid. Fronds tufted, 4-6 inches high and as much in the ex- 

 pansion of the branches, flabelliform, more or less fastigiate, divided nearly 



