TRIBE I. ASTR^EACEA. 199 



The cespitose clumps are about four inches high, and consist of 

 crowded, erect, furcating stems, which are nearly cylindrical, slightly 

 undulate, and obtusely lamello-striate externally. There are hardly 

 two lamello-striae to a line in breadth. The stems break rather easily, 

 and branch or furcate every inch or two, and the intervals between 

 adjacent calicles are two to three lines broad ; there are about thirty- 

 six lamellse to the cell, half of which extend to the centre of the bottom 

 of the cell, which is much convolute. 



2. CAULASTR^EA DISTORTA. (Dana.) 



C. caulibus contortis, 3-5'" crassis. Corallum extus undique striatum, 

 ramulisbrevioribus, 3-6'" animatis; caliculis scepe tumidis et distortis, 

 extus lamello-striis spinulosis ; lamellis numerosis subcequalibus, 1'" 

 exsertis, later e subtiliter plicatis. 



Stems contorted, 3 to 5 lines in diameter. Corallum every where 

 striate ; branchlets shorter than in the preceding, alive for 3 to 6 

 lines ; calicles often tumid and distorted with the exterior lamello- 

 strise finely spinulous; lamellae numerous, subequal, 1 line exsert, 

 their lateral surfaces finely plicate. 



Plate 9, figure 5, corallum, natural size. 



Feejee Islands. Exp. Exp. 



There is a general resemblance in the size and habit of this species 

 to ihefurcata; but the spinulous exterior to the calicles, and their dis- 

 torted forms, appear to separate it from that species. Yet it is pos- 

 sible that the specimens may have formed the outer branches of a 

 clump of the preceding. 



3. CAULASTRJEA UNDULATA. (Dana.) 



C. hemispherica, caulibus arrectis, 6-7'" crassis, creberrimis (" remotis), 

 subcylindricis, undulatis. Corallum longe rugate striatum et denti- 

 culatum; caliculis " latis, interdum dilatatis ; lamellis numerosis, tri- 

 angulatis, apice subacutis, etpaulo exsertis, subdenticulatis ; celld conica, 

 fundo angusta. 



