Ser. Melanosperme.*:. Fam. Chordari 



'let? 



Plate CCLX. 



ELACHISTEA FLACCIDA, Aresch. 



Gen. Char. Frond parasitical, consisting of a dense tuft of free, simple, 

 articulated, olivaceous filaments, rising from a common tubercular 

 base, composed of vertical, branching fibres, closely combined into a 

 cartilaginous mass. Fructification, pear-shaped spores attached to 

 the bases of the filaments concealed in the tubercles, and frequently ac- 

 companied by paranemata. Elachistea {Fries), — from iXaxiara, 

 the least ; from the small size of these plants. 



Elachistea flaccida j tufts pencilled : filaments elongate, flaccid, mem- 

 branaceous, much attenuated to the base ; the lower articulations half 

 as long as broad, the upper of equal length and breadth j tubercle 

 hemispherical. 



Elachistea flaccida, Aresch. — •/. Ag. Gen. et Sp. Ah/, vol. i. p. 12. Harv. 



Man. ed. 2. p. 50. Fr. Fl. Scan, p 317. Eng. Bot. t. 2912. 

 Elachistea breviarticulata, Aresch. in Linn. vol. xvi. p. 234. t. 8. f. 5. 

 Phycophila flaccida, Kiltz. Phyc. Gen. p. 330. 

 Myrionema breviarticulatum, Endl. 3rd Sitppl. p. 23. 

 Conferva flaccida, Dillw. t. G. Harv. in Hook. Br. Fl. vol. ii. p. 355. Harv. 



in Mack. Fl. Hib. part 3. p. 227. Harv. Man. cd. 1. p. 132 Wyatt Ala 



Damn. no. 292. 



Conferva obtusa, Ag. Syst. p. 101. 



Conferva breviarticulata, Suhr, in Flora 1831, p. 32. t. 4. f. 36, .r, y, z. 



Hab. Parasitical on Cystoseira fibrosa, common. Annual. Summer and 

 autumn. 



Geogr. Distr. Atlantic coasts of France and England. 



Descr. Tubercle small, one to three lines in diameter, hemispherical, verv firm, 

 composed of moniliform, dicliotomous fibres densely compacted together, and 

 not easily separable. From the tips of the fibres composing the tubercle 

 spring the filaments, which are half an inch long, or something more, 

 tapering extremely at the base, then rapidly widening to the middle, from 

 which they taper very gradually to the upper extremity. Articulation* in 

 the lower and middle parts of the filament not quite half as long as broad, 

 in the upper part as long as, or rather longer than, their breadth; the apex 

 obtuse. Between the filaments spring numerous linear clavate paranemata, 

 tapering to the base, and gradually swelling upwards ; these have oval arti- 

 culations, about thrice as long as broad. Spore* Lodged among the parane- 

 meta, obovate, on slender, short pedicels, dark olive. Substance flaccid 

 and soft, readily adhering to paper in drying. Colour a pale greenish olive. 

 sometimes yellowish or low. 





