CONFERVOIDE^. 



200 ] 



CONFEEVOIDE^E. 



ing out freely in the cavity of the tube, 

 finally breaking up into the component 

 bead-like cells (spores), which reproduce 

 the plant. The genus Lemanea deserves 

 further investigation. 



Synopsis of the Families. 



LEMANEE^E. Frond filamentous, inar- 

 ticulate, cartilaginous-leathery, hollow, 

 furnished at irregular distances with whorls 

 of warts, or necklace-shaped. Fructification : 

 tufted, simple or branched, necklace-shaped 

 filaments, attached to the inner surface of 

 the tubular frond, and finally breaking up 

 into elliptical spores. Freshwater. 



BATRACHOSPERMEJE. Plants filamen- 

 tous, articulated, invested with gelatine. 

 Frond composed of aggregated, articulate, 

 longitudinal cells ; whorled at intervals with 

 short, horizontal, cylindrical or beaded, 

 jointed ramuli. Fructification: ovate scores, 

 and tufts of antheridial cells attached to 

 the lateral ramuli, which consist of minute, 

 radiating, dichotomous, beaded filaments. 

 Freshwater plants. 



CH^TOPHORACEJE. Plants growing in 

 the sea or fresh water, coated by gelatinous 

 substance : either filiform, or (a number of 

 filaments being connected together) consti- 

 tuting gelatinous, definitely formed or shape- 

 less fronds or masses. Filaments jointed, 

 bearing bristle-like processes. Fructifica- 

 tion : zoospores produced from the cell-con- 

 tents of the filaments ; resting-spores formed 

 from the contents of particular cells after 

 impregnation by ciliated spermatozoids pro- 

 duced in distinct antheridial cells (Coleo- 

 ' 



CONFERVACEJE. Plants growing in fresh 

 water, or in the sea, filamentous, jointed, 

 without evident gelatine (forming merely a 

 delicate coat around the separate filaments). 

 Filaments very variable in appearance, sim- 

 ple or branched ; the cells constituting the 

 articulation of the filaments more or less 

 filled with green or very rarely brown or 

 purple granular matter, sometimes arranged 

 in peculiar patterns on the walls, and con- 

 vertible into spores or zoospores. Not con- 

 jugating. 



ZYGNEMACE^:. Freshwater filamentous 

 plants, without evident gelatine, composed 

 of series of cylindrical cells, straight or cur- 

 ved. Cell-contents often arranged in elegant 

 patterns on the walls. Reproduction result- 

 ing from conjugation, followed by the de- 

 velopment of a true spore, in some genera 



dividing into four sporules before germina- 

 tion. 



(EDOGONIACEJE. Simple or branched, 

 freshwater, filamentous plants, attached 

 without gelatine. Cell-contents uniform, 

 dense. Cell-division accompanied by cir- 

 cumscissile dehiscence of the parent cell, 

 producing rings upon the filaments. Re- 

 production by zoospores formed of the whole 

 contents of a cell, with a crown of numerous 

 cilia ; and resting-spores formed in sporan- 

 gial cells after fecundation by ciliated sper- 

 matozoids formed in antheridial cells. 



SIPHONACE/E. Plants found in the sea, 

 fresh water, or on damp ground ; of a mem- 

 branous or horny hyaline substance, filled 

 with green granular matter. Fronds con- 

 sisting of continuous tubular filaments, 

 either free or collected into spongy masses 

 of various shapes, either crustaceous, globu- 

 lar, cylindrical or flat. Fructification by 

 zoospores either single or very numerous ; 

 and by resting-spores formed in sporangia! 

 cells after the contents have been impregna- 

 ted by the contents of antheridial cells of 

 different form. 



OSCILLATORIACE^J. Plants growing 

 either in the sea, in fresh water, or on damp 

 ground, of a gelatinous substance and fila- 

 mentous structure. Filaments very slender, 

 tubular, continuous, filled with coloured 

 granular, transversely striate substance ; 

 seldom branched, though often cohering 

 together so as to appear branched, usually 

 massed together in broad floating or sessile 

 strata, of very gelatinous nature ; occasion- 

 ally erect and tufted, and still more rarely 

 collected into radiating series bound together 

 by firm gelatine, and then forming globose, 

 lobed, or flat crustaceous fronds. Fructifi- 

 cation: the internal mass or the cell-con- 

 tents, separating into roundish or lenticular 

 gonidia. 



NOSTOCHACE^:. Gelatinous plants 

 growing in fresh water or in damp situa- 

 tions among mosses, &c. ; of soft or almost 

 leathery substance, consisting of variously 

 curled or twisted necklace-shaped filaments, 

 colourless or green, composed of simple (or 

 in some stages double) rows of cells, con- 

 tained in a gelatinous matrix of definite 

 form, or heaped together without order in 

 a gelatinous mass. Some of the cells en- 

 larged, and then forming either vesicular 

 empty cells or densely filled sporangial cells. 

 Reproduction by the breaking up of the 

 filaments, and by resting-spores formed singly 

 in the sporanges. 



