GREEN ALG^. 57 



Genus.— CLADOPBORA* Kiitz. 



No less than nineteen species of this genus are 

 enumerated in Dr. Farlow's list of 1876, at least, 

 fifteen of which are said to be natives of our northern 

 shores. But our best botanists think the genus sadly 

 in need of revision, for this country at least ; and assert 

 that certainly two distinct systems of classification and 

 nomenclature prevail in Europe. I shall attempt to 

 give an account here of those species only which I 

 believe can be so described as to be easily determined 

 by the Amateur Collector. For the rest, you must 

 needs make resort to the friendly aid of those botanists, 

 whose ample suites of specimens will enable them, 

 by comparison with yours, to determine your plant at 

 a glance. The plants belonging to this genus, make 

 up no inconsiderable portion of the green flora of 

 our waters, and many of them make very beautiful 

 specimens for the herbarium. The genus is charac- 

 terized by extreme simplicity of structure. The 

 main stem and branches alike consist of a sort of 

 jointed thread, made up of single cells, attached end 

 to end. The plants are always profusely branched, 

 and in this regard are distinguished from those of 

 the next genus, which are never branched. 



* Cladophora = branch-bearing. 



