CRYPTOGAMIA ALGJE. 795 



piece of mechanifm, and highly deferving oi a 

 microfcopical examination. 



The female fmcflifications are found upon both the 

 varieties before-mentioned, but chiefly upon 

 the firft or umbellated kind. They grow here 

 and there out of the difc or furface of the 

 leaves, in the ihape of fmall, green, elevated, 

 monopetalous, inverted-conical cups, with mem- 

 branaceous rims, irregularly crenated, contain- 

 ing many fmall, naked, round, comprefTcd, 

 o-reen feeds, or, as fome authors term them, 

 feminal leaves. Thcfe cups appear firfi: in Septetru- 

 ber^ and condnue all the Winter and facceeding 

 Spring, but dry away before the males begin 

 to filed their powder, according to DilUniuSy 

 though it is extremely probable that the ktds are 

 at fome time or other impiegnated by its influ- 

 ence. 



There is yet a Vi^riety of this plant, by fome au- 

 thors confidered as a fpecies. It is fmaller in 

 all its parts than the preceding, except the 

 umbellated heads, which are nearly of the fame 

 fize. The leaves are fliortcr, paler green, and 

 lie over one another, are deditute ot the black 

 purple veips, not fhining above, reticulated 

 with oblique lozenges, having each a pundure 

 in the centre, and more woolly underneath, 

 v/ith downy parallel veins running boih ways 

 from the middle towards the margins. The an- 

 thera of the floret in this is black and globu- 

 lar. 



See 



