478 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [DECEMBER 
that he paced at Carmel Bay, California. MAcMuIttan (9) 
expresses the opinion that the length stated by KyJELLMAN “‘is not 
at all excessive.” McFARLAND (8) says: “I have been unable to 
find individual plants of Nereocystis in the region examined by me 
which attained anything like the maximum dimensions given by 
KJELLMAN, MERTENS, SETCHELL and GARDNER, and MACMILLAN. 
Specimens up to 100 feet in length are met with.” 
It should be noted that RuprecutT’s statement was based on 
mere hearsay. KJELLMAN (7) does not cite any measurements in 
support of hisstatement. MERTENS’ (11) statement has never been 
confirmed by measurements. There is practical agreement in the 
statements by SAUNDERS (15), FRYE (4), and Ricc (12, 13). 
Longer kelps than those found by the last three observers were . 
reported by MACMILLAN (10), SETCHELL (16), and McFArRLAnp (8). 
Not a single specimen has ever been found by the writers of this 
paper that reached 40m. in length, nor has any evidence been 
obtained by them from soundings that plants reach this length 
in any of the beds examined. The largest specimen of Nereocystis 
measured on the southern Alaskan expedition was 20.7m. This 
was at Point Davidson on Annette Island. The longest specimen 
of this species measured on the western Alaskan expedition was 
18.9m. This was at Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula. 
Many statements were made to the writers about extremely large 
kelps, but when the beds were visited, these large specimens could 
not be found. The longest lamina found by our expeditions is 
780cm. The greatest width of lamina found is 20cm. The 
length of a pneumatocyst found at Yakutat was 462cm. All 
measurements of kelps at Yakutat were from drift specimens. 
None were seen growing. The region was visited in May, which is 
too early for the new crop of kelp there. The maximum circum- 
ference of bulbs measured on our expeditions is 453mm. This 
specimen was found at Danger Bay on Afognak Island. Other 
bulb circumferences measured were 425mm. at Meares Passage, 
367mm. at Yakutat, 365mm. at Sand Point, and 350mm. at 
Resurrection Bay. 
McFar.anp (8) has found the weight of fresh Nereocystis plants 
on the Californian coast to vary from 43 to 76 pounds. BuRD 
