78 ACOTYLEDONS; ALG.T:. Osmflaitiffia . 



Very lubricous, but varying excessively in the size and colour of the 

 whorled branchlcts. Most frequently purple, sometimes dark or 

 blue green, or even blue. The Cow/, nigra of Dillw. and E. B. is 

 now, I believe, generally acknowledged to be only a state of this 

 on which the branchlets have been destroyed. 



7. GLOIONEMA. 



Filaments gelatinous, continuous, with very obscure joints, with- 

 in filled with elliptical sporangia. 



1. Gl.foBitduin, filaments compressed branched flaccid and ge- 

 latinous coadunate free at their extremities, branches crowded 

 subdichotomous, dissepiments obsolete, articulations rather 

 long (Dilliu.) including a solitary elliptical granule. Dillw. 

 Co?if. t. 104, and E. B. t. 2101 (Gmifirvafeetida). 



HAB. Rocks on the coast of Morayshire, Mr. Borrer and Hook. 



This is a singular production, and from its smell one would suspect it 

 to be animal matter. I have never been able to distinguish the ar- 

 ticulations Mr. Dillwyn mentions, but have found the ovate or el- 

 liptical brown bodies in the pellucid membranous filaments to as- 

 sume a beaded appearance. 



8. SCYTONEMA. 



Filaments continuous, subcoriaceous (not gelatinous), having in- 

 ternally transverse annuliform parallel sporangia. 



1. S. atro-virens, tufts brownish black, filaments olivaceous 

 brown rigid branched, branches slender, rings dotted with gra- 

 nules. j4%. p. 115. Conferva atro-virens, Dillw. t. 25. 

 Lichen eJcilis, Lightf. p. 894. Collema pannosum, Ach. 

 Syn. Lich. p. 329, 



HAB. Naked rocks in the Highlands, especially such as are moistened 

 by the spray of cataracts, Lightf. 



Forming dense blackish tufts, with shortish capillary branched fila- 

 ments. It seems doubtful whether this should be arranged with 

 the Lichens or Conferva;. External swellings (tubercles or apothe- 

 ciar) have been observed upon them j but whether actual fructifi- 

 cation or not, future observations must determine. Agardh in 

 eludes in the present genus, besides the plant in question, Con- 

 ferva comoides, radicans, Myochrous and ocellata of Dillw., 

 which certainly have a habit in common. 



9. OSCILLATORIA. 



Filaments continuous, membranaceous, gelatinous, rilled inter- 

 nally with transverse parallel annuliform sporangia. The 

 Oscillator ice are divided into two kinds by Agardh. The Os- 

 cilL verfp are those which are collected into a gelatinous stra- 

 tum, shining and blackish green above, after being dried par- 

 taking of a beautiful aeruginose tint. Their filaments have 

 been thought to have a voluntary movement ; they elongate 

 and increase rapidly, are always simple, though Agardh has 



