S88 Puget Sound Marine Sta. Pub. Vol. 1, No. 31 



DESMARESTiA LiGULATA (Light.) LamouT. was first reported by Light- 

 foot (14). Altho known to all the early European collectors, it was not 

 found on American shores, according to Harvey (6), until collected by 

 Lyall on the coast of British Columbia. 



Setchell and Gardner (26) seem doubtful of the authenticity of their 

 specimens, but material collected for the writer at Kanaka Bay on the ex- 

 posed side of San Juan Island could not possibly be confused with the var. 

 herhacea of authors {PI. 84, Fig. 1). Its color, size, growth-habit, width 

 of frond, in fact its whole general appearance, mark it as a distinct type. 



DESMARESTIA HERBACEA (Tum.) Lamour. This beautiful species, 

 brought from the northwest coast of North America by Menzies, was first 

 published by Turner (32) under the name Fucus herbaceus. His descrip- 

 tion and plate are still the best things in literature concerning this plant, 

 and his argument for considering it a distinct species is still valid, in the 

 opinion of the writer. It was so considered for many years after its dis- 

 covery, until reduced to a variety of D. ligulata by J. G. Agardh (2). 



It is one of the largest of the brown algae outside of the Laminaria- 

 ceae. Setchell and Gardner (26) report that it has been found cast ashore 

 at Esquimalt, B. C, in fragments several meters long, and full 30 cm. 

 v/ide. According to Rigg (23), it sometimes reaches a length of 2.4 or 

 3 meters and a width of from 30 to 40 cm., although it is usually much 

 smaller. Several fragments of plants secured for the writer by means 

 of a trawl measured from 40-60 cm. across the widest part of the main 

 axis, and 1 fragment of a plant raised while gathering specimens of Nereo- 

 cystis was about 3 meters long and a trifle more than 100 cm. wide. This 

 huge flat thallus when first taken from the water was more than a milli- 

 meter in thickness, crisp and easily broken if bent, and dark brown in 

 color. Within 3 or 4 hours after it was collected it had assumed the char- 

 acteristic greenish color of exposed plants, had become as thin as paper, 

 and was so soft and easily torn that it could not be handled. 



If this extreme difference in size were not enough to distinguish D. 

 ligulata and D. herbacea as distinct (separate) species, the color and tex- 

 ture of specimens, whether fresh, preserved in formalin, or dried for herba- 

 rium use, is entirely diiferent. 



The writer proposes, therefore, that the D. ligulata var. herbacea 

 (Turn.) of J. G. Agardh be restored to specific rank under the name Z). 

 herbacea (Turn.) Lamour. 



DESMARESTIA TABAcoiDEs Okam. This species, proposed by Okamura 

 (19), is not mentioned elsewhere in literature. Okamura describes it as 

 follows: "Fronds very large, leaf-like, shortly stipitate, with broadly 

 oval, very usually obliquely lobed, simple, raidribbed, and coriaceous 



