the Britijlj Fiici, iv'ilh parlkutar Defer iptions of each Species. 177 



formcm uncialem vel fcfquiuncialem dilatatur — Frons una allcravc, 

 nonnunquam ctiam pluiimx c dii'ci (lipids diiatati centre, tics vcl 

 quatuor lineas latae, cralli^, compiefTa;, coriacese, glabrae, modo ad 

 ipfam origincm, modo port paululum progrefTiJs dichotomic — 

 Rami iterum iterumquc dichotomi, dein frons fingula ad duaruirj 

 vel trium ulnarum longitudincm cxtcnfa, et in plufquam vicrinti 

 fegmenta acute terminata divila — Fruciifcatio, tubercula nwmcro- 

 fifllma per totam frondem utrinque fparfa, apice perforata, ct fe- 

 minibus repleta — Color recentis plantae olivaceus, ficcatx nigcr. 



Far. /3 — fruftificationem, fubftantiam et colorem ut in a exhi- 

 bct — Sed Fmns omnino plana et latior, latitudine admodum vari- 

 ans — Anguli dichotomize, qui in aacuti, in hac varietate obtufifllmi 

 et quafi rotundati funt. 



This fpecies is fo fingular in its form and mode of growth, that 

 it is impoffible to confound it with any other in the genus. 



At the firfb appearance it exactly refembles a Peziza ftanding on 

 a fhort thick footflalk, and in this ftate has been defcribed bv 

 Rciy, Syti. p. 43. n. 15, and by others of the older authors by the 

 very apt name of ' Fucusfung'n affinis.'' The frond, which arifes fiom 

 the centre of this pezizaeform rudiment, exactly refembles in fub- 

 ftance a leather thong, is without rib or nerve, bears neither leaves 

 nor branches flridly to be fo called; but is conftantly dichotomouOy 

 divided at intervals of 3 or 4 inches each, until not unfrequently it 

 attains a length of 2 or 3 yards, and fomctimes much more ; and the 

 divifions, being in proportion to the length, have been found to 

 exceed twenty or thirty. The breadth, which is originally 3 or 4 

 lines, does not much vaiy, except towards the extremity, when it 

 becomes narrower and ends in an acute point — The angles formed 

 by the dichotomy are acute. The whole furface of the plant is 



Vol. III. A a fmooth, 



