198 



PRACTICAL BOTANY 



183. Vaucheria: habitat and structure. Vaucheria is com- 

 monly called "green felt," a name which suggests the charac- 

 teristic appearance presented by it as it grows upon the moist 

 surface of the earth, in pots, on growing tables in the green- 

 house, or upon damp shaded soil out of doors. It also grows 



FIG. 160. A branch of the alga, Draparnalctia* 

 After Conn 



in pools of water, where it may be distinguished from many 

 other algae by its coarseness. Certain species of Qladophora 

 are coarser than Vaucheria, but their greater length and more 

 extensive branching will ordinarily enable one to distinguish 

 them. If the earth upon which Vaucheria is growing is exam- 

 ined, the plants will be found to penetrate slightly into the 

 soil, their size enabling one to see parts of them without 



