confervace^:. 265 



like bundles at the base, from a few inches to a foot long, of 

 a soft silky texture, and pale yellow-green colour, becoming 

 whitish when dry ; branches crowded, mostly opposite, of 

 various lengths, those of the upper part of the frond spread- 

 ing ; branchlets opposite, or secund ; cells about four times 

 the length of their diameter. 



This species is common on the south and west coasts 

 of England and Ireland. It grows on rocks and sea- 

 weeds near low-water mark during summer, and is 

 annual. The distinctive characters are that the threads 

 of the fronds are very long, delicate, and soft. In other 

 respects it resembles C. refracta. 



Cladophora gracilis. The slender Cladophora. 



Fronds growing in long, tangled tufts, from six inches to 

 a foot in length, of a yellow-green colour and silky texture, 

 much branched; branches alternate, twisted, much divided; 

 branchlets long, slender, secund, comb-like, tapering from 

 the base to the tip ; cells about four times the length of 

 their diameter, nearly uniform throughout the frond. 



This plant grows on Zostera, etc., in deep water, and 

 is a summer annual. Its characters are better defined 

 than those of most of its allies ; but it is, unfortunately, 

 rare, and confined to certain favoured localities. 



Cladophora Brownii. Brown's Cladophora. 



Fronds growing in dense tufts, erect, rigid, from half an inch 

 to an inch high, inextricably interwoven, slightly branched ; 

 branches long, nearly simple ; axils acute ; cells about four 

 times as long as broad, those below swollen at the top, 

 those above cylindrical. 



