FLORIDE^E. 



[ 328 ] 



FLOSCULARIA. 



sists of spherical masses of spores, attached to 

 the wall of the frond, or iiuhedded in its 

 substance without a proper conceptacle, in 

 which latter case the cells surrounding the 

 mass of spores are devoid of colouring- 

 matter : such a fruit is called a favellidium, 

 and occurs in Halymenia ; and the same name 

 is ordinarily applied to fruits of similar struc- 

 ture not perfectly immersed, such as those of 

 Gigartina, Gelidium, &c., where they form tu- 

 bercular swellings on the lobes. In some cases 

 the tubercles present a pore at the summit, 

 when mature, through which the spores find 

 exit. When such a fruit is wholly external, 

 as in Ceramium and Cattithamnion, it is 

 called a favella. The coccidium, charac- 

 teristic of Delesseria (PI. 4. fig. 5e), Nito- 

 phyllum, &c., which is nearly related to this, 

 either occurs on lateral branches, or is ses- 

 sile on the face of the frond, and consists of 

 a hollow case with thick cellular walls, con- 

 taining a dense tuft of angular spores at- 

 tached to a central column. It is generally 

 imperf orate, but occasionally exhibits a 

 pore through which the spores escape. The 

 ceramidium is the most complete form 

 of the conceptacular fruit, and is an ovate 

 or urn-shaped case, furnished with an apical 

 pore, and containing a tuft of pear-shaped 

 spores arising from the base of the cavity. 

 The walls are usually thin and membranous, 

 and the hollow space considerable, as in 

 Polysiphonia, Laurencia, Dasya (PI. 4. fig. 

 9 c), &c. 



From the account given by Pringsheim, 

 of Ceramium, it would appear that these 

 (capsule-) spores first produce a kind of pro- 

 thallium, somewhat in the manner of the 

 higher Cryptogamia. 



Peculiar bodies, forming external warts, 

 and composed entirely of vertical fibres, 

 but without spores, called nemathecia, are 

 sometimes confounded with the concepta- 

 cular fruit, and are probably immature forms 

 of it. 



The spermatozoids are found in peculiar 

 structures, to which the name of antheridia 

 has been applied, from the supposed analogy 

 to the organs so called in the other Crypto- 

 gamous plants. The antJieridia are pro- 

 duced pretty much in the same situations 

 as the other organs of fructification, and are 

 often developed on different individuals. 

 They are collections of very small colour- 

 less cells (PI. 4. fig. 126) ; sometimes col- 

 lected into a bunch, as in Griffithsia ; some- 

 times enclosed in a transparent tube, as in 

 Polysiphonia ; clothing a kind of irregularly- 



shaped flat plate, as in Laurencia ; or occu- 

 pying portions of the general surface of the 

 thallus. Each of the minute cells contains 

 a rounded motionless spermatozoid. 



Synopsis of the Families. 



RHODOMELACE^:. Frond cellular, areo- 

 lated or articulated. Ceramidia external. 

 Tetraspores in rows, immersed in ramuli, or 

 contained in proper receptacles (stichidia). 



LAUBENCIACE^E. Frond cellular, con- 

 tinuous. Ceramidia external. Tetraspores 

 scattered, immersed in the branches and 

 ramuli. 



COBALLINACE^J. Frond calcareous or 

 crustaceous, rigid. Ceramidia external, con- 

 taining the tetraspores. 



DELESSERIACE^E. Frond cellular, con- 

 tinuous, areolated. Coccidia external. Tetra- 

 spores collected into definite clusters (tori). 



RHODYMENIACEJE. Frond cellular, con- 

 tinuous, the superficial cells minute. Coc- 

 cidia external. Tetraspores scattered through 

 the frond, or forming undefined, cloud-like 

 patches. 



CRYPTONEMIACE.E. Frond fibroso-cellu- 

 lar, composed of articulated fibres connected 

 together by gelatine. Favellidia immersed 

 in the frond or sub-external. Tetraspores 

 immersed in the frond. 



CERAMIACEJE. Frond filiform, consisting 

 of an articulated filament, simple or coated 

 with a stratum of small cells. Favettce 

 naked berry-like masses. Tetraspores ex- 

 ternal, or partially immersed. 



PORPHYEACE^). Frond plane and ex- 

 ceedingly thin, or tubular and filiform, of a 

 purplish colour, with oval spores in sori, 

 and tetraspores scattered over the frond. 



BIBL. Harvey, Mar. Algce, 1849, & Phyc. 

 Brit. ; Kiitzing, Phycol. gen. ; Thuret, Ann. 

 Sc. Nat. 3 se'r. xvi. 5, 4 ser. iii. 5 ; Derbes 

 and Solier, ibid. 3 se'r. xiv. 261, 4 se'r. v. 

 209; Pringsheim, Berl. Ber. 1855; Ann. 

 Sc. Nat. 4 se'r. iii. 363 ; Bot. Zeitung, xv. 

 784; Henfrey-Masters, Bot. 1878; Bornet 

 and Thuret, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1867, vii. 166 

 Rosanoff, Compt. Rend. 1866; Cohn, 

 SchuLtze's Archiv, iii. 24; Askensky, Bot. 

 Zeit. 1867 (col. matter); Solms-Laubach 

 Bot. Zeit. 1867; Sachs, Bot. 1874, 291. 



FLOSCULA'RIA, Oken, Ehr. A genus 

 of Rotatoria, of the family Floscularieea. 



Char. Attached ; eyes two, red ; carapace 

 single; rotatory organ divided into more 

 than four lobes, with elongated cilia radia- 

 ting from their extremities. 



