HYDATICA COLUMNARIS. 



COLUMNAR HYDATICA. 



Generic Character. 

 Stem arborescent, jointed, branched ; leaves long, linear. 



Specific Character. 



HYDATICA columnaris. Stem branched all the way up, ending in a club-like 

 head ; branches alternate, simple, covered with leaves ; leaves hair-like, parallel, 

 two-ranked. 



Synonyms. 

 It has not yet been found figured or described in any work hitherto published. 



Description and Locality. 



Stem round, upright, branched all the way up, terminated by an enlarged head, 

 ending obtusely. 



Branches numerous, round. 



Leaves numerous, hair-like, two-rowed. 



Found imbedded horizontally in the black micaceous shale which covers the 

 thick coal in the upper El-se-car colliery, near Wentworth. 



Observations. 



This plant is decidedly an aquatic, and very distinct from the fucoides of 

 M. Brongniart. 



The examination of several specimens of this species, besides those figured in the 

 plate, shows evidently that this is very distinct from all others of the same genus. 



The first figure represents the plant of the natural size in its matrix of shale ; 

 and the second figure a magnified branch, showing the two lines in which the 

 leaves are inserted. 



