[May, 



Chara coronata Ziz. (in ed. 1814), revised by A. Braun to include 

 all known varieties, belongs to the second division of the genus 

 Chara, namely Haplostephana (stipules composed of a simple 

 series of cells) ; it has but one stipular cell at the base of each 

 leaf, is not corticated, is monoecious and is described as follows in 

 Braun's Characeae Africanae : " Plant annual, smooth and flexible. 

 Leaves verticillate nine to eleven, with 4-6 articulations, 3-5 elon- 

 gated segments and a short mucroniform ultimate segment. 

 Bracts developed at every node ; at the terminal node forming 

 with the terminal segment a 3-5 divided crownlet (coronula) ; 

 the posterior bracts shorter, depauperate or wholly wanting ; the 

 anterior about equaling the sporangium, rarely longer, often 

 shorter. Stipules about the size of the leaves. Antheridia and 

 Sporangia produced on the same node, rarely double or triple. 

 Nucleus of the sporangium black, with a calcareous shell and 

 with 7-12 conspicuous striae on a side." 



The European form of this species, known as var. Braunii, has 

 been considered the normal form, occupying as it does an inter- 

 mediate position in respect to size, development of bracts, size of 

 nucleus and form of the coronula. The nucleus varies from 420 

 to 550 //. (micro-millemeters, mille-millemeters) in length, is 

 9-striate; coronula of the sporangium is short and obtuse ; the 

 bracts anteriorly are equal to or shorter than the sporangium, 

 posteriorly they are undeveloped. This form is found also in 

 America, but the more distinctively American form has been 

 known as var. Schweinitzii A. Br. This is usually characterized 

 by a larger nucleus, 550 to 650 //., and by the great development 

 of the bracts, which are often several times longer than the spo- 

 rangium and are completely developed around the leaf, verticil- 

 late, though the posterior are much shorter than the anterior. 

 An African form, var. Perrottetii A. Br., has a large nucleus, 

 600-650 ft., with unilateral bracts equaling in length the sporan- 

 gium ; this form we find in America also. From India, var. 

 ( 'oromandclina A. Br., has been designated by a very large nu- 

 cleus 600-750 //., with verticillate bracts, nucleus with seven 

 strong angles ; some of our forms approach very closely to this, 



