15 
identifies the plant called prolifera by Babington (see Charac. Exsicc. 
n. 17) with C. glomerata, Desv. in Lois. Not. p. 135 (date 1810). 
To this he refers a plant, gathered in Anglesea (Llyn Coron), in Borrer’s 
herbarium. C. glomerata appears to be very closely allied to the true 
nidifica, but to be a smaller plant, with shorter branches and fewer arti- 
culations. To C. glomerata he refers Babington’s C. Smithii as a 
doubtful synonym. This' point cannot be settled till it is regathered, 
and the question of whether it be really dioecious investigated upon a 
good range of living specimens. All the other Tolypellcc are monoe- 
cious ; and as all our other British Characece are now shown to be 
identical with plants known upon the Continent, it is a point of con- 
siderable interest to ascertain if we have really a distinct species here. 
A plant gathered many years ago by Dr. Moore in Lough Neagh, and 
suspected by him at the time to be the true nidifica , of the ‘ Flora 
Danica,’ may not unlikely prove to be really so. It has been submitted 
to Dr. Braun for his opinion, and his reply is, “ Habitus et folia 
omnino nidifica, sed seminibus minoribus magis contortis acceait ad 
C. fasciculatam (intricatam) .” We can, therefore it seems, only rely, 
with confidence, upon two British species, which should be called in- 
tricata and glomerata , and there are two others ( nidifica and Smithii) 
which may prove distinct, but which must be left over for further in- 
vestigation. We give the diagnosis of nidifica and the two accepted 
ones, from Kiitzing’s ‘ Species Algarum,’ with a few synonyms. 
1. C. intricata, Roth; “ mediocris, semilmea crassa, raniis verti- 
cillorum articulatis, ad genicula inferioria ramulifera, ramulis infirais 
furcatis elongatis multiarticulatis, apice subtiliter apiculatis, verticillis 
fructiferis dense aggregatis, spermatiis in axillis verticil lor utn et geni- 
culis ramorum inferioribus dense conglomeratis, perispermio pellucido, 
a latere 13-striato. Monoica.” — Roth, Catal. Fasc. vol. i. p. 125. Ni- 
tella intricata, Ag. Syst. Alg. p. 122; Billot, FI. Exsicc. 1393; Ra- 
benhorst, Dec. Alg. p. 68 ; Braun, Rabenh., Stiz. Char. Exsicc. n. 18. 
C. fasciculata, Amici, Descriz. p. 16. t. 5. f. 3. Nitella fasciculata, 
A. Braun, Sclnv. Char. p. 11 ; Kiitz. Sp. Alg. p. 517. C. polysperma, 
A. Braun, Flora, 1835, p. 56 ; Bab. Man. edit. 6. p. 448. Nitella. 
polysperma , Kiitz. Phyc. Gen. p. 318. 
/ 3 . robustior , Kiitz , rarais verticillorum sterilium indivisis. — Ohara 
prolifera , Ziz. ; A. Braun, Flora, 1835, p. 56, non Bab. Man. edit. 6. 
447. Nitella prolifera , Kiitz. Phyc. Germ. p. 255. C. Borreri, Bab. 
Man. 1. c. 
