﻿Nichols: 
  The 
  vegetatiox 
  of 
  Connecticut 
  

  

  52? 
  

  

  the 
  eel 
  grass 
  ranges 
  downward 
  to 
  considerable 
  depths, 
  being 
  

  

  M 
  

   W( 
  

  

  that 
  it 
  flourishes 
  best. 
  So 
  prolifically 
  does 
  it 
  thrive 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  

   waters 
  of 
  protected 
  harbors 
  and 
  coves 
  that 
  at 
  low 
  tide 
  large 
  areas 
  

   of 
  muddy 
  bottom 
  here 
  will 
  be 
  almost 
  completely 
  hidden 
  by 
  its 
  

   clusters 
  of 
  long, 
  slender 
  leaves. 
  The 
  eel 
  grass 
  is 
  Important 
  on 
  

   muddy 
  bottoms, 
  not 
  merely 
  because 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  dominant 
  member 
  

  

  Fig. 
  3. 
  Zostera 
  marina 
  on 
  depositing 
  bottom; 
  leaves 
  floating 
  on 
  surface 
  at 
  low 
  

  

  ^ 
  

  

  tide. 
  Orange. 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  flora, 
  but 
  also 
  because 
  it 
  furnishes 
  a 
  substratum 
  upon 
  which 
  

   many 
  seaweeds, 
  which\ 
  otherwise 
  would 
  be 
  absent, 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  

   grow. 
  In 
  the 
  preceding 
  paper 
  of 
  this 
  series 
  (/.r., 
  lists 
  on 
  pp. 
  102, 
  

   104), 
  attention 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  algae 
  of 
  

   rocky 
  bottoms 
  grow 
  also 
  as 
  epiphytes 
  on 
  the 
  eel 
  grass- 
  These 
  

   latter 
  occur 
  in 
  association 
  with 
  the 
  eel 
  grass 
  on 
  muddy 
  bottoms, 
  

   some 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  more 
  abundant 
  here, 
  at 
  certain 
  seasons, 
  than 
  

   on 
  rocky 
  bottoms. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  these, 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   the 
  brown 
  and 
  red 
  algae 
  which 
  grow 
  exclusively 
  as 
  epiphytes 
  on 
  

   the 
  eel 
  grass, 
  or 
  more 
  abundantly 
  here 
  than 
  on 
  any 
  other 
  type 
  of 
  

   substratum. 
  Such 
  are 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  Brown 
  Algae 
  (Phaeophyceae) 
  

  

  Punclaria 
  lalifoUa 
  

  

  