485 



A. DIVARICATA. 



Coral fan-like; branches dichotomous, diverging, very slender; 

 the lateral branches diverging at right angles from the stem and 

 branches ; bark thin, yellow, granular. Cells produced, subcylin- 

 drical on each side of the branches, in alternating series. Axis cal- 

 careous, red, solid, longitudinally grooved; internodes swollen, spongy. 



Hab. ? 



## Cells slightly prominent, in two or more series on the sides of 

 the branches ; branches and branchlets compressed, tapering. 



2. Melit^a. 



Coral fan-like, forked; branches subparallel. Cells in. two or 

 three series on the sides of the branchlets. Axis calcareous, spongy, 

 with numerous sinuous tubes. 



Melitjla ochracea, Esper, Pflanzenth. t. 4 a. 1. 1 1. f. 1, 2. 

 Hab. ? 



Var. 1 . Bright yellow, with red cells on side of branchlets. 



Var. 2. Red, with yellow cells on sides of branchlets. 



The branches very rarely inosculate. The cells are small, not pro- 

 minent, in two series on each side of the branchlets, leaving the inner 

 and outer surface nearly bare and smooth. The axes of the branch- 

 lets are rather solid and calcareous, that of the stem is porous, pierced 

 with numerous tortuous cylindrical tubes ; the branchlets are mode- 

 rately short. 



3. Melitella. 



Coral fan-like, forked ; branches subparallel, more or less coales- 

 cing. Cells rather produced, numerous, crowded on the two sides 

 and one surface of the branchlets. Axis solid, calcareous, 



f Branches virgate, subparallel, rarely inosculating. 



1. Melitella elongata. B.M. 



Orange, branches virgate, subparallel, much divided ; branchlets 

 slender, elongated, compressed, sometimes inosculating ; articulation 

 of the branchlets very long, slender, compressed. 



Isis ochracea, var., Esper, Pflanzenth. t. 4 a, f. 2, 4, 5 (not 3). 

 Melitea ochracea, var. lutea, Lamk. 

 Hab. ? 



This coral is very like Melitcea ochracea, and has most probably 

 been hitherto confounded with it ; but it is easily distinguished 

 from it by the cells being much more numerous and crowded, and 

 by the solidity of the axis. 



Esper's figures somewhat represent the species, but the cells are 

 not sufficiently crowded nor numerous in figs. 4 and 5 ; yet some of 



