Frua'tf cation of the Fiicus Natans. 283 



not be unacceptable to our botanical readers :^The author, 

 who is well known by his voyage to Peru for the improve- 

 mait of botany, having found in the Allanttc, on his vojr- 

 acre back to Europe in the year 1788, a great quantity ot 

 floating fea-grafs, Fucus natansUm^., he carefolly examined 

 the bladders of this marine produdion, which Linnseus er- 

 roneonflv confidered as its fruit, but obferved nothing m 

 them that could induce him to accede to the opinion of that 

 eminent naturalift. In the night of the firtl of Augud, when 

 in the 24th degree of north latitude, the captain fent him 

 fome of thefe fuci, which had been found adhering to one 

 of the ropes, and which, as foon as agitated in the water, 

 exhibited blueifli luminous phofphoric points. One of thefe 

 he put into a vcffel filled with iea-water, and obferved that, 

 when the plant was moved, a phofphoric light ran along it, 

 from the one eiid to the other, in a ferpentine direaion. In 

 the day-time he found white threads adhering to it along its 

 whole' Icnsth, having at their extremities fmall cups and 

 ears, which he immediately conjeaured to be the parts of^ 

 fruaification long fought for without foccefs, but which 

 were exceedingly different from thofc which Linnsus and 

 other botanifts thought they obferved in this fpecies of 

 plants. The fucus was kept four days in water; and always, 

 when fliaken in a dark place, it emitted a phofphoric light 

 which had a perfed rcfemblance to that produced by mer- 

 cury when agitated in vacuo. After the above period this 

 phenomenon entirely ceafed ; but the author was able to 

 exhibit it at pleafure by obtaining fre(h plants. The parts 

 which produced the luminous appearance were the white 

 threads, before mentioned, adhering to \.\\& fucus, which ter^ 

 niinated either in fm^ll cnps or ears, or ears with fmall 

 knobs. He, however, did not find all thefe three forms of 

 the fuppofcd flowers on the fame plant, but in different in- 

 dividuals, He found alfo that thefe bodies could not be 

 eafily feparatcd from the plant, even though the incruila- 

 tions with which the fucus was abundantly covered could be 

 feparatcd with little difficulty. From this he concluded that 

 the fingle cups were the male flowers, the ears the herma- 

 nhrodite, and the ears with knobs the female. 



Qo \ ^ writer 



