MARINE FLORA OF THE PACIFIC COAST 

 P. torreyi has narrower leaves and two to five spa- 

 dices. The fruits of Phyllospadix have a device 

 whereby they cling to jointed Corallines, germinate, 

 and by catching sand build up small aggregations of 

 sand which may grow into beaches. Zostera, or eel 

 grass, inhabits shoal quiet water of bays and is rep- 

 resented by two species (or varieties), the wide 

 spread Z. marina with narrow leaves and Z. pacifica 

 (or Z. latifolia) with broad leaves. All four species 

 of eel grasses are distributed along the coast from 

 Alaska or Puget Sound to Mexico. 



The lichens, peculiar to maritime rocks, are well 

 represented, at least on the Californian coast, by 

 comparatively conspicuous and peculiar species. 

 Rocella decipiens and /?. leucophaea occur about 

 San Diego, the former on rocks, the latter on bushes. 

 The rare and curious Schizopelte calif or nica occurs 

 on earth on Catalina Island. On maritime rocks 

 of central California (Lands End, San Francisco, 

 and about Monterey) occur Ramalina ceruchis, B. 

 combeoides, R. homalea, Placodium coralloides, 

 Lecanora bolanderi and L. phryganitis. These are 

 all fruticulose species. Foliaceous or conspicuous 

 crustaceous species peculiar to maritime rocks of the 

 same region are Endocarpiscum guepini, Placodium 

 murorum, and Lecanora pinguis. A few crustaceous 

 lichen species are found on smooth rocks even 

 within the upper tide limits. 



Of fungi, two interesting marine species are 

 found on the coast of California. About Lands End 

 and near Fort Point of the San Francisco shores, 

 a small Ulva, occurring at the upper tide limit, is 

 usually infested with Guignardia ulvae, and around 

 San Pedro, Cystoseira osmundacea and Halidrys 

 dioica often show considerable bur-like distortions 

 caused by Guignardia irritans. 



The conspicuous portion of the marine flora 

 belongs to the group of the algae, or Phycophyta. 

 All the main groups are well represented on the 

 west coast of North America and some, particularly 

 the reds and the browns, by conspicuous and dis- 

 tinctive forms. 



The Myxophyceae, or blue-green algae, while 

 common, are inconspicuous, mostly microscopic 

 species and present few cases of prominence. A 

 species of Dermocarpa (D. fucicola) is common on 

 many of the coarser red algae. Brachytrichia quoyi, 

 one of the larger and more interesting species of 

 this group, occurs in some abundance at Laguna 

 in southern California. Rivularia biasolettiana is 

 common in localities just above high water mark 

 on dripping rocks. In general, however, the display 



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