CUBAN SEAWEEDS. . 
BY DR. W. G. FARLOW. 
Wi ee 
In 1865-66 Mr. Charles Wright, then engaged in collecting the 
pheenogamous plants of Cuba, upon visiting the seashore in search 
of maritime plants, gathered and preserved such alge as came 
within hisreach. This collection, which was kindly given to me 
for examination by Professor Gray, contained forty-six species 
which could be identified, besides a few which, from absence of 
fruit and other causes, could not be made out. Of these forty-six 
species, eight were Melanosperms, nineteen Rhodosperms, and 
nineteen Chlorosperms. These numbers probably nearly repre- 
sent the actual proportion of species of Chlorosperms and Me- 
lanosperms growing on the shores of Cuba, the latter being few 
in number and aiiai mostly either to the genus Sargassum of 
the Fucaceæ, or to the tropical order Dictyotaceæ. That the 
number of Rhodosperms, collected by Mr. Wright, is considerably 
less than the actual proportion is owing to the fact that the Me- 
lanosperms and Chlorosperms are generally littoral, and could be 
easily reachèd by Mr. Wright, while the Rhodosperms are mainly 
found after storms, or brought up by the dredge. The present ar- 
ticle is limited to the Chlorosperms of Cuba as illustrated by 
this collection. 
n our own coasts, the Chlorosperms, or green seaweeds, be- 
long mainly to the Ulvaceæ and Confervaceæ. To the former order 
belong the grass-green apron-like weeds (Ulvæ) attached to the 
rocks all'along our shores, and the Porphyra (Fig. 45, structure of 
a plant of the group) of a similar structure but smaller, and of a 
dark purple color, very exceptional amongst the Chlorosperms, 
which make the large round pebbles of our beaches so slippery at 
low tide. To the Confervaceæ (Fig. 46, structure of a plant of 
this group) of our shores, belong a multitude of species formed 
of small, generally microscopic, cylindrical cells placed end to 
end, forming sometimes branching, sometimes straight filaments. 
In Mr. Wright’s collection is an alga (Cladophora luteola Harv.) 
belonging to this order of a most brilliant yellow color, forming 
tufts scarcely two inches high. Some of our own Cladophoræ are 
of a greenish yellow color, but we have nothing approaching in 
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