20 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XIX, January 1965 
brosa subsp. gymnopitys (A. Br.) Zaneveld 
( 1940: 158) ; C. fibrosa subsp. flaccida (A. 
Br. ) Zaneveld (1940:162); em. Wood 
(1962*13). 
Fig- 3 
REFERENCES FOR Fiji: none. 
DESCRIPTION OF FIJI MATERIAL: Plants mo- 
noecious, 10-20 (-35) cm high, occasionally 
incrusted. Axes moderately slender, ca. 300 /x in 
diameter; internodes I-IV 2 times as long as 
the branchlets; cortex 2 -corticated, occasionally 
slightly overlapping, aequistriate to slightly tyla- 
canthous; spine cells sparse, tiny, conical, 20-80 
jx high and ca. 80 /x wide. Stipulodes in 1 tier, 
1-2 at each branchlet, generally elongate, 1-3 
times longer than the axis diameter, cylindrical 
with acute tips; very deciduous and apparently 
replaced by short conical stipulodes. Branchlets , 
all similar and potentially fertile, 8-10 in a 
whorl, 1-2 (-2.5) cm long, segments (2-) 3 
(rarely -4), end segment generally 2 -celled 
with a reduced end cell. Bract- cells generally 3, 
verticillate, short, I/IO-P 2 as long as the branch- 
let diameter, commonly 150-500 fx long and ca. 
100 [x wide (highly variable). Bracteoles 2, 
longer than the bract-cells, V 2 -IV 2 times oogo- 
nium in length. Bractlet, none. Gametangia con- 
joined at lowest 2 (rarely 3) branchlet nodes. 
Oogonia 1 at a node, ca. 700 /x long (excluding 
coronula) and ca. 450 /x wide; convolutions ca. 
9; coronula conical, ca. 70 /x high and 300 /x 
wide. Oospores dark brown (slightly immature), 
ca. 450 /x long and ca. 250 fx wide; striae of 7-8 
prominent ridges, possibly prolonged into short 
basal spines; fossa ca. (72-) 84 jx across; mem- 
brane smooth, brown. Antheridia 320-480 g in 
diameter; 8-scutate. 
This species is the only local charad with 
cortication. The longitudinal lines on the axis 
can just be seen by holding the plant up against 
the sunlight, and they can be easily made out 
with the aid of a hand lens. Another corticated 
species, C. zeylanica, occurs as near as New 
Caledonia and may turn up in Fiji. It could 
readily be distinguished by having two distinct 
rows of stipulodes, whereas there is only one row 
in C. f brosa. 
Although commonly treated as C. gymnopitys, 
the older name of C. fibrosa has priority, and 
Zaneveld (1940:153) re-established this as the 
correct name. The present writer (1962^:13) 
included both C. gymnopitys and C. benthamii 
in the type variety of C. fibrosa . 
The chromosome number of 28 agrees with 
Hotchkiss’ unpublished data on Australian ex- 
amples of C. fibrosa. 
Variation in gross appearance is slight, but 
there are considerable differences in details. 
Some specimens exhibit only short, conical stipu- 
lodes (spec, i), while others have the elongate 
ones ( spec, k ) . Between these two extremes are 
a number which have few to many elongated 
stipulodes ( spec, h ) , but where they are missing 
the gap is filled with the short ones. It would 
appear that the long stipulodes abscise, perhaps 
at an early stage of development, and are re- 
placed by the short ones. Where two stipulodes 
occur, they arise one at each side of each branch- 
let; but, where only one stipulode remains, it 
may appear to be alternately inserted. Other 
features to be noted are a spiny appearance due 
to large bract-cells (spec, a), smooth appear- 
ance when bract-cells are small (spec, h), and 
an appearance intermediate between these two 
(spec. j). None of the features seems consist- 
ent. The peculiar irregularity of the stipulodes, 
their large size, and the tendency for the number 
to vary from 1 to 2 per branchlet agree with 
these characteristics of the forms previously 
designated as C . benthamii. 
HABITATS: Rice fields, ponds, pool by bridge, 
pool in ditch. 
DISTRIBUTION: In Fiji, collected from Viti 
Levu (Tailevu near Sawani and Natovi; Nadroga 
near Sigatoka and Cuvu) and Vanua Levu (Ma- 
cuata and Macuata-i-wai). C. fibrosa is widely 
distributed throughout the tropic and temperate 
world, Europe being the only temperate conti- 
nent from which it is unknown. In the western 
Pacific, it is also reported from Japan, the Phil- 
ippine Islands, Indonesia, Australia (including 
Tasmania), New Caledonia, New Zealand, and 
Guam. 
SPECIMENS: vanua LEVU: Macuata: (a) R. 
D. Wood and Vakuru Waibuta 61-6-29-1. June 
29, 1961. In ca. 3 inches of clear water, mud 
bottom, pool in drained rice field W of Nako- 
routari Road ca. 150 ft W of culvert marker 
