Tolypella longicoma in Cayuga Lake, New York 
Romyn Hitcucock 
(WITH PLATE 8) 
This species was originally described and named by A. 
Braun (1, p. 96) from specimens collected by Professor Les- 
quereux in swamps near Columbus, Ohio, in 1855. Allen (2) 
gives a translation of Braun’s description with the comment: 
“T have keen unable to obtain specimens of this species . 
I await its rediscovery.’’ No later record of the species is to 
be found. 
When collecting from the shore at the southeastern corner of 
Cayuga Lake, June, 26, 1921, I found a plant growing in tufts 
in the shoal water. On June 29, I collected the same plant 
from a boat in about four feet of water. The growth was 
abundant, covering the bottom in tufts about 15 cm. tall for 
square yards. The plants were fruiting finely in the upper 
whorls, the sporophydia and antheridia both being of a brilliant 
orange color. But as the fruiting was immature it seemed 
advisable to defer much collecting until a later day. This was 
unfortunate, for on July 11 the entire growth had disappeared. 
Only a few single plants could ke found by selecting them from 
vigorous growths of Chara. 
Such remarkably rapid growth, development and disinte- 
gration were not anticipated. However, Migula (3) states 
concerning plants of this genus: ‘‘They grow under favorable 
conditions remarkably fast and frequently reach in a few weeks 
their full size and development, whereupon they break up and 
disappear with the same quickness.’’ As to T. glomerara, 
closely related to the Ithaca plant, he says that the spores ripen 
about the middle of April and that ‘immediately the plant 
breaks up and leaves no trace.” 
The next season, 1922, I began searching for the plant early 
in June but only on the 28th did I find a few single plants, 
brought up with charas, etc. Some of these showed protonemal 
growths with germinated spores attached. Repeated visits to 
the location during July and August failed to disclose any 
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