44 
Barber . — On the Strticture and 
and bell-shaped. The edge of the bell, on touching the rocks, 
gives rise to root-like processes, which, becoming fixed, render 
the primary root superfluous. Finally, a hollow bulb is formed 
sending out processes in all directions 1 .’ No good series of 
figures exists of this peculiar morphological structure ; and 
an account of the interesting development of the species is 
only to be met with by careful examination of books not 
within easy reach. 
The reproductive organs of L. bidbosa remained undis- 
covered for a long time. Tournefort classed all marine plants 
with those whose seeds and flowers were unknown : but Mar- 
sigli appears to have discovered flowers and fruits on several 
of the Mediterranean seaweeds. The vesicles at the extremi- 
ties of the leaves of certain Fuci are also mentioned by Ray 2 
as containing seeds. Reaumur states that, on a voyage along 
the coasts of France, he discovered flowers and seeds on 
several seaweeds, and he published his results in a well-illus- 
trated paper 3 . These flowers and seeds appear to be 
the conceptacles on the swollen ends of the leaves ; but 
Reaumur does not distinguish the small groups of filaments so 
frequently met with on all parts of the thallus of many brown 
seaweeds. So in the following year he published a supple- 
mentary paper with the good figure of L. bidbosa already 
referred to, drawing especial attention to the occurrence 
of these tufts of hairs. ‘ I have found on many of these 
plants (i. e. L. bidbosa ) flowers composed of hairs similar to 
those which I described for Fucus major dentata Rail (evi- 
dently F. serratusy He further states that he was unable to 
find any seeds or capsules. 
Later authors seem to have been aware of Reaumur’s error, 
and the fructification is usually omitted in descriptions of the 
plant. Some, however, have indulged in guesses as to the 
position of the reproductive organs. Thus Goodenough and 
Woodward, in their paper in the transactions of the Linnean 
2 Hist. Plant, p. 1849. 
3 Hist, de l’Acad. 1711, p. 282. 
Sp. Alg. 1848. 
