On , 



• American forms of Chara coronata. 



[May, 



and the small verticillate bracts. The specimens from Pennsylvania 

 were collected " in a flume " by Mr. E. A. 

 Rau. The plants are diffuse, thin and trans- 

 parent; stems long ; verticils approximate at 

 upper part; leaves long, spreading, with two 

 fertile nodes and 2-3 sterile; the upper inter- 

 nodes much elongated. Bracts much shorter 

 than the sporangium, verticillate, the ante- 

 rior longer than the lateral; coronula of the 

 sporangium consisting of connivent blunt 

 cells ; nucleus elliptical, about twice as long 

 as broad, 650 it. long, with nine faint striae. 

 Very similar to this, apparently, is a form 

 9th var. ; a. ' from Kansas, collected by Fendler and com- 

 municated to me by Dr. Engelmann, of St. Louis. The leaves are 

 long, consisting of four nodes, of which the lowest is fertile ; the up- 

 per considerably elongated. The bracts are less than half the length 

 of the sporangium, verticillate, the anterior shorter than the lateral; 



coronula with blunt somewhat connivent cells, the sporangium 

 large with about twelve whorls on one side. Nucleus gigantic in 

 size, 760-780 11. long with 9-10 faint striae. This form is truly 

 western in the enormous development of nucleus, but in no other 

 respect does it seem to differ from eastern forms, b, a mature 

 fruit ; c, very young, showing a large antheridium. The figures 

 have all been drawn with the camera lucida from actual speci- 

 mens, and are perfectly true to nature. 



To these forms we have been able to refer all the specimens 



