I. OBSERVATIONS ON EGREGIA MENZIESII. 



FRANCIS RAMALEY. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Egregia menziesii is one of the largest and most conspicuous 

 of the marine plants occurring on the shores of Vancouver 

 Island. Its great abundance makes it a favorable object of 

 study. It is easily collected at times of extreme low water when 

 it is found in the zone with Alaria and Laminaria. A morpho- 

 logical study of the plant was made in the field and in the 

 laboratory of the Minnesota Seaside Station. This study has 

 since been carried on with preserved material. The author 

 desires to thank Professor Conway MacMillan for suggesting 

 to him the subject for study and for aid during the progress of 

 the work. He is also under obligation to Miss Josephine F. 

 Tilden for helpful suggestions. 



This plant was first described by Turner * as Fucus menziesii. 

 It was afterwards referred to the genus Macrocystis by C. A. 

 Agardh 2 and was later called Phyllospora menziesii by the same 

 author. 3 In 1876 Areschoug 4 made it the type of a new genus, 

 Egregia. Descriptions of the plant or records of its collection 

 have been given in numerous works besides those mentioned 

 above. 5 



The present writer has not had access to Turner's work but 

 that author's description and figure are copied by later writers. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The plant has been collected at various points along the 

 northwest coast of America, first by Menzies, who obtained it 

 as far north as Nootka Sound, later by botanists of the Beechey 

 voyage 6 and by Dr. Lyall and C. Wood at Esquimalt and Fuca 

 Strait. 7 In later years collections have been made by Dr. Eisen, 

 Dr. Anderson, Dr. Howe, Professor Saunders, Dr. Setchell, 

 Miss Tilden and others in California, Washington and British 

 Columbia. According to Professor Setchell 8 Egregia menziesii 



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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

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