Fig. 322. PTILOTA SEEICEA. 



Colour. Usually a dull, brownish-red; sometimes brighter. Brown when old. 



Sulstance. Very soft and limp; sometimes dense and almost spongy. 



Character of Frond. Extremely narrow; sometimes thread-like {filamentous), but 

 compressed; excessively branched in a formal manner. Main stems irregularly 

 divided; rough below with minute branchlet stumps. Branches re-branched; 

 with short, curved, exactly opposite, horizontally-spread branchlets. These re- 

 branchleted once or twice in the same way. Stem and branches opaque. 

 Ultimate branchletee^^5 jointed. (See figure of a magnified bit.) 



Measurement. From 2 to 6 inches long. 



Fructification. Of two kinds. 1. Clustered globules of spores, surrounded with six 

 or eight minute slender branchletee^zs (ramelli), which fold over them 

 (involucrated); stalked; formed at the end of the branchlets. 2. Globules of 

 tetraspores formed in the tips of the same. 



FLabitat. Our coasts generally. On perpendicular rocks between tide-marks. Barely 

 on the stems of Fucus serratus. Common. 



Now Ptilota elegans. This is the only Ptilota found on the south coast of 

 England. 



Fig. 223. PTILOTA PLUMOSA. 



Colour. A fine dark red; sometimes very clear and bright. 

 Substance. Rather rigid. 



Character of Frond. Thread-like {filamentous), but flat; excessively branched in a 

 formal manner. Main stems irregularly divided; smooth; set with branches 

 of irregular lengths. Branches re-branched; secondary set (and sometimes the 

 pi'imary) clothed throughout with shortish, curved, wide-spread branchlets. 

 These re-branchleted once or twice in the same way. Stem branches and 

 branchlets unjointed; opaque. 



Measurement. From 3 to 14 inches long. 



Fructification. Of two kinds. 1. Clustered globules of spores, surrounded with six 

 or eight minute, slender branchietef?z5 (^lYwielli), which fold over them; stalked; 

 formed on the end of the then shortened branchlets. 2. Globules of tetraspores 

 formed in the tips of the same. 



Habitat. Northern and western coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. On the stems 

 of Lam. digitata. Frequent. 



The first set of hranclilets are often not re-branchleted quite close to their 

 base, so that the bare spaces look like a narrow white line between them and 

 the stem. This is not the case in P. sericea, so that it serves as a clue between 

 the species. 



24 



