CAULERPA 



175 



The maximum differentiation attainable in this way by a 

 non-cellular plant may be illustrated by a brief description 

 of a sea-weed belonging to the genus Catilerpa. 



Caulerpa (Fig. 39) is commonly found in rock-pools 

 between tide-marks, and has the form of a creeping stem 

 from which root-like fibres are given off downwards and 

 branched leaf-like organs upwards. These " leaves " may 

 attain a length of 30 cm. (i ft.) or more. So that, on a 



Fig. 39. — Caulerpa scalpelliformis (| nat. size), showing the stem- 

 like, root-like, and leaf-like portions of the non-cellular plant. (After 

 Harvey.) 



superficial examination, Caulerpa appears to be as complex 

 an organism as a moss (compare Fig. 39 with Fig. 108, a). 

 But microscopical examination shows that the plant consists 

 of a single continuous mass of vacuolated protoplasm, 

 containing numerous nuclei and green chromatophores and 

 covered by a continuous cell-wall. Large and complicated 

 in form as it is, the whole plant is therefore nothing more 

 than a continuous mass of protoplasm exhibiting no cellular 

 structure. 



