Characeae of Fiji — W ood 
19 
Zealand, and Fiji. Monoecious strains are known 
from Africa, Mauritius, Asia, and Australia, and 
the dioecious strains occur in Asia, Australia, 
and on the islands of the South Pacific. 
SPECIMENS: OVALAU ISLAND — (a) Nau- 
mann. Nov. 1875. Levuka (as "Leruka”) (B, 
destroyed, not seen; ref. Zaneveld, 1940:129, as 
f. vitiensis, holotype); — (b) Weber [573 ?]. 
June 1882. In the marshes near Bureta "Oralau” 
(B, destroyed, not seen; ref. Nordstedt, 1888^: 
188, 1888 A 8, as No. 573 and var. f$ vieillardi, 
and Zaneveld, 1940:129, as f. vitiensis, $ ); 
vanua LEVU: Cakaudrove: (c) R. D. Wood 
61-7-1-1. July 1, 1961. Abundant in 1-2 ft of 
fairly clear water, mud bottom, large pool ca. 
100 ft SE of Loa Road at culvert L 284 ca. 26 
miles E of Savusavu airstrip, Cakaudrove Pen- 
insula (CYT F 20, n = 14; slender, oogonia 920 
X 640 g, convolutions 7, oospore black, 660 
X 380 g, striae 6, fossa ca. 130 g across, antheri- 
dia 580 g in diam, 2-3 at a node, axis 750 g in 
diam); Macuata: (d) A. C. Smith 6698. Nov. 
25-Dec. 8, 1947. In flowing water of Korovuli 
River, Seaqaqa Plateau [vicinity of Natua, alt 
100-200 m} (l, us, as C. corallina, det. F. K. 
Daily) (dioecious); — (e) R. D. Wood and 
Vakuru Waibuta 61-6-29-2. June 29, 1961. 
Abundant in ca. 6 inches of clear water, mud 
bottom, pool in dry ricefield W of Nakoroutari 
Road, ca. 2 miles S of Nakama Road turnoff, ca. 
5 miles S of Labasa ( $ , small and slender, axis 
550-600 g in diam; mixed with N. pseudo fla- 
bellata) (e 1 ) [ibid. 61-6-29-1 . See C. fibrosa, 
mixed with some C. corallina on which CYT 16, 
n = 14 was counted};- — (f) ibid. 61-6-29-4. 
Ibid, (with some basal oogonia, slender with axis 
ca. 590 g in diam) ; — (g) ibid. 61-6-29-5. Ibid, 
(formal, only); — (h) ibid. 61-6-29-6. Ibid. 
(CYT F 17, n — 14; slender, ca. 500 g in diam); 
— (i) ibid. 61-6-29-7. Ibid. ( heavily fertile 3, 
axis 550 g in diam); — (j) ibid. 61-6-29-9. 
Sparse in ca. 1 ft of still water, sandy mud, small 
embayment on SE shore of Nakama River, just 
N of ford ca. Vs mile SW of Labasa (rdw 
1536, Fig. 2) (nodes swollen, nodes and stipu- 
lodes with white deposit, axes ca. 700 g in 
diam); — (k) ibid. 61-6-29-10. Ibid, (axes ca. 
700 g in diam); — (1) ibid. 61-6-29-11. In ca. 
3 inches of dark water, mud bottom, long ditch 
pool W of Nakama Road ca. 200 yards N of 
Nakama school ca. 3 miles SW of Labasa (axes 
ca. 650 g in diam); — (m) ibid. 61-6-30-10. 
June 30, 1961. Abundant in ca. 1 ft of clear 
water, silty sandy-mud bottom, pool called "Na- 
lioniga” W of road ca. 1 mile past Seaqaqa Agric. 
Farm (RDW 1534, Fig. 3); — (n) ibid. 61-6- 
30-11. Ibid, (formal, only; $ and $ ); — (o) 
ibid. 61-6-30-12 A. Sparse in ca. 10 inches of 
clear water, ibid, (formal, only; oogonia 560- 
930 g X 380-700 g, coronula 105 X 140 g, $ 
480 g and on reduced branchlets); — (p) ibid. 
61-6-30— 12C. Ibid, (formal, only; a few scraps 
mixed with N. pseudoflabellata ) ; Macuata-i- 
wai [Mathuata Island}: (q) ibid. 61-6-30-1 . 
June 30, 1961. Common at water’s edge in ca. 
10 inches of water, sandy bottom, pool in creek 
at place known as "Vuniwesi” ca. Va way around 
island to south from koro ( formal, only; oogonia 
1000 g long, convolutions 7 (-8), $ and $ ); 
VITI LEVU: Nadroga: (r) R. D. Wood and 
Family, 61-7-9-1. July 9, 1961. Common in ca. 
6 inches of clear water, silty mud bottom, N 
edge of pool with water lilies, Burns Point at E 
end of Sigatoka Bay (nodes with hard white 
deposit ( negative for lime with dil. HNO3 and 
starch with IKI), stipulodes 2 per branchlet in 
a firm ring; axes 750 g in diam, branchlets 6 cm 
long) (spec, in US suggested as NEOTYPE of f. 
vitiensis ); Naitasiri: (s) S. Pillay and A. Vua- 
lili, Suva, 12498. July 12, 1961. Abundant, 
Sawani R., 1 chain below bridge, N shore [Wai- 
manu R. at Sawani ?} (axis 650 g in diam) ; — 
(t) ibid., Suva 12499. Ibid, (mixed with speci- 
men labeled N. furcata)\ Tailevu: (u) B. E. V. 
Parham 742. Aug. 1, 1937. Forming large patches 
in shallow water, Wainimalo River, alt 700 ft 
(SUVA, as Nitella, det. R. D. Wood) [there is 
only a small region where the river touches Tai- 
levu, but the writer visited the area in July 1961 
and found no Characeae}. 
2. Section Agardhia R.D.W. 
2. Char a fibrosa Ag, ex Bruz., em. R.D.W. — 
Chara fibrosa Agardh ex Bruzelius (1824: 
21); C. flaccida Braun (1849:296); C. 
gymnopitys Braun (1852:708); C. Ben- 
thami Braun (1867:799); C. gymnopitys 
var. Benthamii (A. Br.) J. Groves (1924: 
373) (orth. mut. to ''Benthamii”); C. fi- 
