OLIVE COLORED ALG^. Ill 



its "next of kin," the C. spongiosus ; and it is not 

 of the first importance, if it is not distinguished from 

 that, for it is doubtful if they are quite distinct species. 

 The frond is not much thicker than a bristle, quite 

 cylindrical, hard and stiff. It begins to branch quite 

 low down, and continues, by repeated, regular, though 

 not wide forkings. The whole frond is clothed though- 

 out with a fleece of densely set, very short branchlets, 

 which grow in regular circles around the plant. The 

 circles or "whorls" are not more than one-tenth of 

 an inch apart, and the branchlets are not less 

 than one-eighth of an inch long, somewhat incurved, 

 hugging the stem closely about, and those of one 

 "whorl" overlapping the bottom of the row next above 

 it. This gives the whole plant a decidedly spongy 

 quality to the sense of both sight and touch. It grows 

 on the rocks, nearly down to low-water mark. Color, 

 brownish olive. Height, three to five inches. It is 

 a perennial and fruits in winter. I found it and C. 

 spongiosus, growing together in great abundance, on 

 the low rocks, east of the first beach at Newport. I 

 also got several fine specimens of it at Martha's 

 Vineyard. It is said to belong to our whole New 

 England coast ; but I think it must be rare in our 

 northern waters, for I have collected Algae along the 

 shores of Salem, Marblehead and Nahant, several 



