222 



Eucheuma Schrammii, J. Ag- Hb. Bot. Mus. Limd. 



- Guadeloupe specimen 



- only, det. J. Agardli* 

 *^ The following other more or less douLtful refeijences to the 



plant occur in the literature or herbaria. A name Tosakanoria 

 japonica is mentioned in a list of Japanese plants compiled by 

 K. Saida (1910) without description, but with little doubt pro- 

 posed for this same plant* Being a nomen nudum, however, it is 

 not valid. The alga distributed by Collins, Setchell and Holdens 

 in Phyc. Bor. Amer, N"o. 745 under Eucheuma ecMnocarpuvi, 

 Arescli. has some resemblance to Tosaka, but it differs in several 

 particulars. It should be further noted that in the copies of 

 Phyc. Bor. Amer., which I have seen, the Florida plant is distinct 

 from the original E. echinocarpum of Areschoug. The alga 

 hinted at as gen.? sp.? in Okamura's Nippon Sorui Mei-i (Enumera- 

 tion of the Algae of Japan, 1902) certainly refers to our Tosaka. 

 The nearest ally is Eucheuma Schrammii, J. Ag., which was 

 originally distributed by Maze as Mychodea Schrammii, Orn. I 

 have examined specimens at Kew, Dublin and Lund, all of which 

 are fragmentary, and though they agree in possessing horned 

 cystocarps it is impossible to say from the specimens whether or 

 not they are identical with E, papulosa. The colour and texture 

 do not support such a view,'^ 



Habitat and Economic Importance. — The following notes 



have also been supplied by Prof. Yendo. Tosaka is often col- 

 lected by divers in a depth of 10-12 fathoms in open coasts in the 

 middle and southern part of the country. Large quantities of 

 the plant are, however, obtained by picking up the floating 

 fronds with scoop-nets after rough weather in early spring. It is 

 found on the Pacific side of Japan up to about 36^ N., and is sup- 

 posed to grow in much deeper water than the above-mentioned 

 depth. 



The collected weed is dried in the sun and sold in the markets, 

 where several varieties, according to the colour, substance and 

 shape, are distinguished by dealers. It is prepared into isinglass 

 and is used as food. A certain amount is also exported annually 

 to China where the plant is known as Hong-tsay (crimson-weed). 



XL.— THE RINGING OF TREES. 



L. A. Boodle. 



Tl^e injuries sometimes inflicted on trees by squirrels were 

 described a few years ago in the case of young trees of Thuya and 

 Cupressus, specimens of which had been sent to Kew by Mr. 

 II. B. Powers, of Hexworthy, Launceston, Cornwall.* The 

 immediate mjury is to the bark,t which is stripped off the trunk 

 in places, sometimes on one side, sometimes all round. That is, 

 in the latter case the stem is completely ringed, and an experiment 



* A. W. HUl, Conifers damaged by squirrels. New Phytologist, vol. 10, 



pp. 340-342, PI. 7. 



^ t The word "bark " is used here for convenience in the vernacular sense 

 to include all the tissues outside the wood (or outside the cambium; , 



