characEjE. 181 



and Atlas pi. 40, f. b ; ed. ii. p. 895 ; and Atlas pi. 46, f. c. Kiitz. Phyc. Gener. 



p. 318 ; Sp. Alg. p. 513 ; Tab. Phyc. Vol. VII. p. 10, t. 26, f. i. Wallm. in Kongl. 



Vet. Akad. Handl. Stockh. 1854, p. 259. Wahht. Bidr. Skand. Char. p. 2 ; and 



Monog. Sver. Norg. Char. p. 17. Nordst. in Anderss. Bot. Notiser, 1863, p. 36. 



Crepin, in Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. Vol. II. p. 128. Leonhardi in Brunn, Verhandl. 



Vol. II. p. 173. H. & J. Groves in Journ. Bot. 1880, p. 165, t. 210, f. 17. 



Baling. Man. ed. 8, p. 469. Sydow, Europ. Char. p. 19. 

 Chara translucens, Persoon, Syn. Vol. II. p. 531. Sm. Engl. Bot. No. 1855. Loisel. 



Deshng. Notice, p. 135. Bruzel. Obs. Char. p. 22. A. Braun in Flora, 1835, 



Vol. I. p. 50. Bating, in Ann. Nat. Hist. 1850, Vol. V. p. 84. 

 Chara flexilis, Thuill. Fl. Envir. Par. p. 472 ; not of Linn. 



Monoecious. Bright shining green. Stem rather stout, pellucid, 

 without cortical cells or spine-cells or stipule-cells. Branchlets 4 to 8 

 in a whorl ; those of the primary whorls barren, elongated, rather stout, 

 obtuse, simple, or with 1 or more terminal rays, so short that they 

 are reduced to little more than points, some of them elongated and 

 bearing secondary fertile whorls, with extremely short trifid branches, 

 giving the appearance of forming small heads or interrupted spikes. 

 Nucules 2 to 3, immediately below the 3 rays of the fertile branchlets, 

 subglobular-ovoid, 5- to 7-striate, with a minute deciduous crown. 

 Globules solitary, terminating the fertile branch, and surrounded by 

 its 3 short rays immediately above the nucules. 



In stagnant water, but usually where there is considerable depth, 

 rarely in streams. Rather rare, but occurring in many places in the 

 south of England ; rare in Scotland, where it occurs in Lochnaw, 

 Wigtonshire ; neighbourhood of Edinburgh ; Kinghorn, Fife ; Loch 

 Leven, Kinross ; Loch Lubnaig, Perthshire ; Loch of Drum, Aberdeen- 

 shire. In Ireland it is reported from Kerry, Gralway, Antrim, and 

 Deny. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer. 



N. translucens is perhaps the finest of the British Characese from 

 the bright green colour and large size, being 1 to 4 feet long or more, 

 with much stouter stems than any of the other Nitellae. It is well dis- 

 tinguished by the rays of the barren branchlets being so reduced as to 

 form mere papillae at the end of those branches where they occur. 

 The fertile whorls are so reduced that they look something like 

 the spikes of Potamogeton pusillus. 



Translucent Nitella. 



