120 SEA MOSSES. 



seen. It grows in great abundance, at low tide and 

 below, on rocks, along the whole California coast. 

 Mr. Cleveland says it is washed up from deep 

 water, and lies in great heaps on the beach, near 

 the Mexican boundary of Southern California. 



Desmarestia latifrons,* Kutz. 



This plant seems to occupy a middle ground be- 

 tween D. aculeata and D. ligulata, having branches 

 shorter and wider and less numerous than the former, 

 and much narrower and thicker than the latter. 

 The branching is alternate, like that of Z>. aculeata, 

 and the secondary branches have the same remote 

 alternate sharp spines of that species. In the frag- 

 ment of a plant before me, which is about six 

 inches long, the stem is one-tenth of an inch wide, 

 primary and secondary branches about the same. 

 Both main stem and prim.ary branches appear under 

 the lens to be " midribed." It is not a very rare 

 plant at Santa Cruz and in the north of California, 

 but grows at low- tide mark, on the rocks, at all 

 seasons. At Santa Barbara it is very rare, and has 

 not yet been found at San Diego. 



Latifrons = A wide fi ond. 



