Mr. C. C. Babington on the British species o/Chara. 87 



8. C. prolifera (A. Braun) ; monoecious, stem slender equal flexible 

 transparent, branchlets blunt those forming the primary whorls 

 simple sterile long usually of three or four joints, the others 

 on axillary branches numerous densely crowded bearing four 

 (three short and one long) bracts at their first node, globules 

 sessile (?) in company with one or more nucules and " sub- 

 tended by the three shorter bracts." 



C prolifera, A. Braun in Flora, xviii. 56 ; Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 2. i. 



352. 

 C. glomerata, Mutel Fl. Franc, iv. 161, not A. Braun nor N. glo- 



merata, Coss. et Germ. 



A small plant easily confounded on a superficial view with the 

 preceding, from which it is distinguished by being monoecious. 

 Nucules small with faintly marked strise. Granules apparently 

 sessile. The presence of decided bracts distinguishes this plant 

 and the preceding and following from C. polysperma and C. flex- 

 Ms, the species with which they are in the most danger of being 

 confounded. There can be no doubt that the three smaller ap- 

 pendages are really bracts, although, in all probability, the longer 

 (fourth) one is a subdivision of the branchlet. 



In brackish (?) ditches. Cley, Norfolk, Mr. D. Turner. Cop- 

 ford, Essex. 



Annual. April. "August to October," Sm. 



9. C. Borre? % i ; monoecious, stem slender equal flexible transpa- 

 rent, branchlets strongly mucronate those of the primary whorls 

 simple sterile long jointed, the others on axillary branches 

 numerous densely crowded bearing four (three short and one 

 long) bracts at their first and also sometimes second node, 

 globules stalked or sessile in company with several nucules 

 and subtended by the three shorter bracts. 



C. nidifica, Borr. ! in Eng. Bot. Suppl. fol. 2762, note. 



Closely resembling C. prolifera and C. nidifica, but consider- 

 ably larger; agreeing with them in roost respects, but essentially 

 different in its branchlets being " suddenly contracted below the 

 acute apiculus." It also differs by sometimes producing a second 

 cluster of bracts and fructification on its branchlets, and also oc- 

 casionally having one on the larger * bract," which is thus shown 

 to be more correctly a subdivision of the branchlet than a bract. 

 The three true bracts are placed on the under side of the 

 branchlet and at right angles with it, the fourth supposed 

 " bract " is lateral and usually points upwards ; and their ar- 

 rangement is believed to be exactly like that in C. prolifera and 

 C, Smithii. This plant is chiefly known to me from the descrip- 

 tion in ' English Botany/ and from some manuscript notes, for 



