Ser. CHLOROSPERMB. Fam. Confervee. 
Puate XVIII. 
CLADOPHORA GRACILIS, Gf. 
Gen. Cuar. Filaments green, jointed, attached, uniform, branched. Fruit, 
aggregated granules or zoospores, contained in the joints, having, 
at some period, a proper ciliary motion. CiapopHora—from xdadés, 
a branch, and opéo, to bear; a branching plant. 
CrapopHora gracilis; filaments very long, capillary, flexuous, silky, 
much branched, bright yellow green; main branches entangled, spa- 
ringly divided, angularly bent; ultimate ramuli pectinate, secund, 
much attenuated, straight and very long; articulations 3-5 times 
longer than broad. 
Conrerva gracilis, Grif. in Wyatt. Alg. Danm. n. 97. Harv. in Mack. Fi. 
Hib. part 3. p. 230. Harv. Man. p. 137. 
Has. Growing on Zostera, and the larger A/yz, in 4—5 fathoms. Annual. 
Summer. Torbay, Mrs. Griffiths. Youghal, Miss Ball. Belfast 
Bay, and Ballantre, Ayrshire, Mr. W. Thompson. 
Geogr. Distr. Shores of the British Islands. Coast of Sweden, Areschoug. 
Duscr. Filaments forming soft, silky tufts, 6-14 inches long, with something 
of a main stem, from which spring very numerous, long, and much divided, 
angularly twisted branches, plentifully clothed with comb-like branchlets, 
whose secund ultimate ramuli are very slender, elongated, erecto-patent, 
and straight or slightly meurved. Colour a fine rich yellow green, which 
fades in some degree when the plant is dried, but a silky gloss is generally 
retained. Articulations tolerably uniform throughout the frond, 3-5 times 
longer than broad. Sudstance soft and pliant, not gelatinous, and the plant 
adheres but imperfectly to paper in drying. 
— 
I received this plant in 1833, from Mrs. Griffiths, under the 
specific name here adopted; and not long afterwards excellent 
specimens were published by Mrs. Wyatt, in her “ Algze Danmo- 
nienses,” so often quoted. As far as British species are concerned 
the student will find little difficulty im recognizing it; the only 
ones with which it can be confouned are C. flexuosa, than which 
it is much more luxuriant, more glossy, and more branching ; and 
C. Kaneana (Me’Calla) which is softer, more flaccid, and much 
more slender and delicate. But the exotic species of this puz- 
zling genus have not been sufficiently compared together to judge 
to which of them it most nearly approaches, or whether it may 
