485 



A. DIVARICATA. 



Coral fan-like ; branches dichotomous, diverging, very slender ; 

 the lateral branches diverging at right angles from the stem and 

 branches ; bark thin, yellow, granvilar. Cells produced, subcylin- 

 drical on each side of the branches, in alternating series. Axis cal- 

 careous, red, solid, longitudinally grooved; internodes swollen^ spongy. 



Hab. ? 



** Cells slightly prominent, in two or more series on the sides of 

 the branches ; branches and branchlets compressed, tapering. 



2. Melit^a. 



Coral fan-like, forked ; branches subparallel. Cells in two or 

 three series on the sides of the branchlets. Axis calcareous, spongy, 

 with numerous sinuous tubes. 



Melit^a ochracea, Esper, Pflanzenth. t. 4 «. 1. 1 1. f. 1, 2. 

 Hab. ? 



Var. 1 . Bright yellow, with red cells on side of branchlets. 



Var. 2. Red, with yellow cells on sides of branchlets. 



The branches very rarely inosculate. The cells are small, not pro- 

 minent, in two series on each side of the branchlets, leaving the inner 

 and outer surface nearly bare and smooth. The axes of the branch- 

 lets are rather solid and calcareous, that of the stem is porous, pierced 

 with numerous tortuous cylindrical tubes ; the branchlets are mode- 

 rately short. 



3. MelItella. 



^ Coral fan-like, forked ; branches subparallel, more or less coales- 

 cing. Cells rather produced, numerous, crowded on the two sides 

 and one surface of the branchlets. Axis solid, calcareous. 



j- Branches virgate, subparallel, rarely inosculating. 



1. Melitella elongata. B.M. 



Orange, branches virgate, subparallel, much divided ; branchlets 

 slender, elongated, compressed, sometimes inosculating ; articulation 

 of the branchlets very long, slender, compressed. 



Isis ochracea, var., Esper, Pflanzenth. t. 4 a, f. 2, 4, 5 (not 3). 



Melitea ochracea, var. lutea, Lamk. 



Hab. ? 



This coral is very like 3Ielitcea ochracea, and has most probably 

 been hitherto confounded with it ; but it is easily distinguished 

 from it by the cells being much more numerous and crowded, and 

 by the solidity of the axis. 



Esper' s figures somewhat represent the species, but the cells are 

 not sufficiently crowded nor nujnerous in figs, 4 and 6 ; yet some of 



