42 BEITISH CHAROPHYTA. 



rudimentary cortical system, but there is every modification of 

 this, and C. cotitraria has forms with rudimentary cortex to the 

 branchlets. 



The descriptions and illustration here given are taken from 

 the Irish plant, which appears to be more extreme than those 

 from the two localities on the Continent, from which it differs 

 in several minor points. 



The Swiss plant has a cortex to the stem, but with the primary 

 cells only developed, and has sometimes one or two corticate 

 segments' to the branchlets. The type of the species collected 

 by Drege in Cape Colony was originally described as entirely 

 without cortex, but was subsequently found by Braun to have a 

 rudimentary cortical system, in consequence of which he tells 

 us (' Charac. Afr.' p. 904) that he withdrew the earlier name 

 C. denudata in favour of that of C. dissoluta. Although the 

 description accompanying the pubKcation of the former is very 

 meagre, we prefer to retain it. 



In the admirable memoir, ' Beitrage zur Kenntnis von Ghara 

 contraria A. Braun und Chara dissoluta A. Braun,' by Cath". P. 

 Sluiter (' Bot. Zeit,' LXVIII, p. 125), a very careful and detailed 

 account is given of the Swiss form of C. denudata with a number 

 of excellent illustrations. 



[C. flliformis Hertzsch {C.jubata Braun), very nearly 

 allied to C. contraria, of which it should perhaps be re- 

 garded as a subspecies, variety, or possibly even only 

 as a remarkable state due to unusual conditions of 

 growth, is found in deep water in lakes in several parts 

 of Europe. The internodes of the stem are extremely 

 long, while the branchlets are much abbreviated and 

 consist of only about four segments. Many species 

 occasionally produce moniliform states, the internodes 

 lengthened and the branchlets reduced.] 



[C. papulosa Kiitz. (C. intermedia Braun), a larger 

 plant with thicker stem and with the posterior bract- 

 cells developed, bears much the same relation in this 

 section to C. hispida among the Aulacanthce, which it 

 much resembles, that C. contraria bears to C. vulgaris. 

 It is widely distributed on the continent, and may weU 

 occur in this country, though we have not hitherto seen 

 a specimen which could be satisfactorily referred to it. 



