216 KJELLMAN, THE ALGiE OF THE ARCTIC SEA. 



and the west coast of Greenland, this may be regarded as a sufficient reason to con- 

 sider it a fixed form and to set it down under a special natne. 



Mr FosLiE at my demand has made a large collection of Alarice from the southern 

 part of the Norwegian Polar Sea, which he has had the kindness to send me. Be- 

 sides plenty of A. esculenta f. muscefolia, it contained a great number of individuals 

 of another Alaria that must be determined as A. membranacea, as far as I can see. 

 However, it much approaches A. Pylaii, but the stipe is longer and coarser than in 

 this species and the lamina is longer in proportion to its breadth and much thinner- 

 A considerable part, several inches, of the cauloid portion is terete or almost terete. 

 But judging from distinct cicatrices, this part has borne sporophylls, although these 

 have been few in number and very thinly spread. The proper rhachis is compressed, 

 provided upwards with sporophylls and downwards showing dense cicatrices of such 

 organs, that have fallen off. 



Already at Nordlanden the present species is large, though it does not by far attain 

 the dimensions of A. grandifolia. At Finmarken I could get only younger individuals. 

 These however give occasion to suppose that the species grows very large there. In 

 one of these individuals the lamina is 20 cm. broad. I believe it was probably a 

 thicket of this species that I saw once on the coast of Finmarken, but was unable to 

 get hold of on account of stormy weather and unsuitable instruments. I estimate the 

 length of the individuals of which the thicket was composed at least at five or 

 six feet. 



It seeras to me probable that Dickie's A. esculenta from Whale Sound is the pre- 

 sent species. Possibly A. esculenta Ashm. from Smith Sound also belongs here. 



Hahitat. This species belongs to the sublitoral zone. On the coast of Norway it 

 grows in the upper part of this zone in one or two fathoms water, but in other parts 

 of the Polar Sea it descends to greater depths. It prefers exposed coasts and lives 

 sometimes gregarious, sometimes scattered. Specimens taken at Nordlanden in April 

 are furnished with zoosporangia. 



Geogr. Distrib. The species appears to belong to those parts of the Polar Sea 

 which lie north of the Atlantic. Here it has been observed at several different places. 

 At present it is uncertain where its maximum of frequency is attained. The raost northern 

 locality where it has been found with certainty is the North Cape of Spitzbergen, 

 Lat. N. 80° 31'. 



Localities: The Norwegian Polar Sea: Nordlanden according to specimens com- 

 municated by Foslie and Kleen; Finmarken local and rather scarce at Maasö and 

 Gjesvter. 



The Greenland Sea: Beeren Eiland; the coasts of Spitzbergen. 



The Murman Sea: the west coast of Novaya Zemlya, local, scarce. 



The White Sea: common and abundant according to Gobi, 1. c. 



Bafjin Bay: the west coast of Greenland, Claushavn and Jakobshavn, Whale 

 Sound (?). In the herbarium of the Copenhague Museum there are found specimens 

 collected by different persons, localities unknown. 



