132 A RRYIBW OF THE BRITISH CHARACE^E. 



spreading, or slightly incurved branchlets, stipulodes prominent. 

 Branchiate of 7-9 joints, usually but 1-2 ecorticate. Bract-cells 

 6-10, acute, whorled, the inner usually much longer than the 

 nucule, the outer shorter, sometimes not half as long as the nucule. 

 Nucule ovoid, 10-12 striate. Coronula spreading. Monoecious. 



(Tab. 208, f. 7.) 



b. macracantha. Braun, Consp. Char. Europ., p. 5. — Spine- 

 and bract-cells very long. 



c. (p/nuwteles. Braun, Ann. Sc. Nat., 1834, p. 355; Kiitz. 

 Tab. Pliyc, vii., t. 66, f. a.— Spine-cells few. Branchlets with 

 several ecorticate joints. 



d. nidis. Braun, E. & S., Exs. (1857), 4, 86.— C. rudis, 

 Braun, Consp. Char. Europ. (1867), p. 6; Nordst. & Wahlst., 

 Exs. 62-66.— C. subspinosa, Rupr. Symb. ad Hist. pi. Ross. (1816), 

 p. 225? — Stem more slender than in the type, secondary cortical 

 colls wry strongly developed, almost hiding the primary, spine- 

 beaiing cells. Bract- and spine-cells shorter and more obtuse. 



A well marked form. (Fig. 7a.) 



e. horntht.—C. horrida, Wahlst. Skand. Char. (1862), p. 24; 

 Braun, Consp. Char. Europ., p. 6; Braun, B. & S., Exs. 71,87; 

 Nordst. & Wahlst., Exs. 98-101. — C. baltica, var. fastigiata, 

 AYallm. Act. Stockh., 1854, p. 314.— A small form. Spine-cells 

 short, patent, very numerous. Branchlets straight, spreading. 



Unin crusted. 



The largest British species, sometimes 3 ft. or more in height, 

 with sterile branchlets 4 in. long. Usually much incrusted. In 

 ordinary forms it may be distinguished from C. tuhjari* by its 

 much stouter stem, more numerous and spreading spine-cells, and 

 by the presence of bracts on the outer side of the branchlets. We 

 have received a very interesting sterile form from Prof. Churchill 

 Babington, which resembles C. pa/dllosaKutz. (C. intermedia, Braun). 

 in general nppearance. Among the specimens sent us by Mr. Curnow 

 is a remarkable plant from the Lizard Downs, which we had 

 considered a form of C. hupida, but, from a fresh specimen 

 recently shown us by Mr. A. Bennett, it would appear to belong to 

 the section having the primary cortical cells more prominent than 

 the secondary, and to hold a position near C. baltica, Fries; a 

 series of specimens collected later on will, no doubt, satisfactorily 

 define its position. We have used the name of 0. hitpida as it has 

 been so generally adopted ; and the description in ' Species 

 Plantarum' might be fairly considered to include our plant, 

 although the specimen in the Linnean Herbarium so labelled is 

 C. aspera, and the distribution given by Linnaeus "In E W '°P* 

 maritime " is scarcely applicable. C. hiepida is generally distributed 

 in Europe and extends to North Africa. 



Ponds, canals, pools and fen ditches. June. Wight (and 

 var. e); Hants, S. ; Sussex, W. ; Kent, E. and W. ; Surrey; 

 Essex, N. ; Oxford ; Suffolk, E. and W. ; Norfolk, E. : Cambridge 

 (and var. e): Northampton; Salop; Leicester; Cheshire; Yorks 



