594 



WILLIAM ALBERT SETCHELL 



lected by MoSELEV of the Challenger Expedition at St. Vincents of the Cape 

 Verdes (Herb. Kevv!), while they are not noticeably present in the type specimen 

 o{ C. decorticatiivi (Woodw.) M. A. Howe (type locality probably not Mediterranean, 

 but possibly Cape Verdes), or in that of C. Chazalici W. v. B., also from the 

 Cape Verdes. When dilations do occur in forms otherwise seeming of the 

 Decorticata, they are most irregular and neither regularly nor absolutely con- 

 fined to the infra-axillary region, as shown by the MosELEY specimens and as 

 they also are in the Juan Fernandez specimens. 



Codiuni decorticatuDi (type) is notable for its elongation (up to at least 2 

 meters), its stoutness, and its small number of dichotomies, as well as their 

 distance from one another in the supra-basal portions of the frond. Codinm 

 Chazaliei has the same habit and is most satisfactorily to be placed under 

 C. decorticatinn. Of the specimens collected at Juan Fernandez, No. i and 

 No. 7 A, although only fragments, indicate a very similar habit. If the MOSELEV 

 plant is to be referred to C. decoj'ticati/in, it does not introduce the sporadic 

 dilations, since it shows none, but they arc shown in some of the Juan Fer- 

 nandez fragments (for example, clearly in Nos. 3, 4 B, and 11 A, and even 

 No. I shows a slight infra-axillary dilation). On the other hand, even C. de- 

 corticatjivi proper, seems at times to be more lowl}^ and with several dichotomies 

 close together (more of the habit of C. dicliotoiiiinii). Such a plant is found in 

 Skottsberg's No. 4 A, but that is probably only a basal fragment. No. 

 II B has more of a suggestion of the habit of C. anipliveskulatUDi Setchell and 

 Gardner (Proc. Calif. Acad.. 4th ser., 12; pi. 35, 1924). Thus much may be 

 said about habit, a rather bewildering variable among the Decorticata. O. C. 

 Schmidt (loc. cit., p. 53), following M. A. Howe, interprets C. A. Agaruh 

 as having been acquainted with Woodward's Ulva decorticata, but this may 

 be seriously doubted, since only the type specimen of Woodward's species 

 was known to TURNER (Fuci, 3: 3, 4, 181 1) who placed it as a variety (var. eloii- 

 gata Turner) of Fitcus toincntosus and this may perhaps have suggested to 

 C. A. Agardh the specific designation for his Codiuni elongatiini, although he 

 does not definitely quote Turner's variety except through the WOODWARD 

 synonym. The type locality of Ulva decorticata Woodward is not known. 

 Woodward (Trans. Linn. Soc, 3: 56, 1797) and Turner (loc. cit., p. 4) say 

 that it »was accidentally brought by a sailor to Mr. WiGG from the Mediter- 

 ranean, » but no specimen of it has been seen in an extensive series of studies 

 of Mediterranean Codiums. They are all to be referred rather to C. elojigatuiii 

 C. Ag. (type!). The suggestion is apparent that the »sailor» may have procured 

 it at the Cape Verdes Islands, where it must be reasonably plentiful. The 

 treatment of C. decorticatinn by O. C. SCHMIDT (Bibl. Bot., Heft 91: 52—53, 

 1923) is from a mixture of several species, but is based chiefly upon C. de- 

 corticatiuii (verum) and C. elongatuni (verum) and, consequently, the various 

 habit forms he enumerates (loc. cit., p. 55) can scarcely be of material 

 assistance. 



The Decorticata Anepsiotes (subsectio Decorticata O. C. Schmidt p. p.) 

 is represented by at least 5 discrete geographical groups of species, varieties, 

 or forms, which may, /;/ sensn latissinio, be regarded as one broad or mega- 

 species, or which may, in sensn restricto ant angustissiino, be considered as 



