Characeae of Fiji — W ood 
21 
K 33, ca. 3 miles S of Labasa; mature $ , 2-cort., 
slightly tylacanthous, stipulodes 1-2 per branch- 
let, oospore fossae 72-84 /x across, [contains 
traces of C. corallina on which CYT F 16 was 
counted]; Macuata-i-wai [Mathuata Island}: 
(b) ibid. 61-6-30-1. June 30, 1961. Common 
at water’s edge, in ca. 10 inches of clear water, 
sandy bottom, pool in creek at place known as 
"Vuniwesi” in a valley ca. V4 way around island 
to S from koro at E end (some stipulodes l l /2 
times axis diam in length);- — (c) ibid. 61-6- 
30-2. Ibid, (formal, only; mixed with N. pseu- 
doflab ellata ) ; — (d) ibid. 61—6-30-3. Ibid, 
(formal, only; sparse, mixed with N. pseudo fla- 
b ellata)’, — (e) ibid. 61-6-30-4. Ibid, (formal, 
only; mixed with N. pseudo flab ellata) ; — (f) 
ibid. 6 1-6-30-6 A. Ibid, (formal, only; mixed 
with N. pseudof lab ellata) ; VITI LEVU: Nadroga: 
(g) W. Greenwood 104. Sept. 12, 1920. In 
water in drain side of rock cutting, Sigatoka (K, 
as Chara sp., annotated C. flaccida by J. Groves); 
— (h) R. D. Wood 61-6-9-1. June 9, 1961. In 
ca. 6 inches of fairly clear water, mud bottom, 
pond in marsh N of Queen’s Road ca. 1 mile W 
of Sigatoka Hotel (rdw 1564, Fig. 3) (in- 
crusted throughout, stipulodes deciduous, first 
long then short); — (i) ibid. 61-6-11-2. June 
11, 1961. In ca. 12 inches of clear water, mud 
bottom, drained rice paddy E of Queen’s Road 
ca. 14 miles N of Cuvu (unusual, bracteoles 4, 
1-2 X oogonium length, 2 (-3)-cort., nearly 
aequistriate, stipulodes small); — (j) ibid. 61- 
6-11-3. In ca. 12 inches of clear water, drained 
rice paddy W of Queen’s Road ca. 23 miles N 
of Cuvu (cortex 2-cort., somewhat overlapping); 
— (k) ibid. 61—6-11-4. Ibid., but in 3 inches of 
water (large, 28 cm high, stipulodes largely lost 
and the few remaining ones are long) ; Tailevu: 
(1) ibid. 61-6-28-1. June 28, 1961. In ca. 6 
inches of clear fresh water, black muck bottom, 
small pool in ditch W of Natovi-Korovou Road 
ca. 13 miles N of Korovou (CYT F 15, n = 28) ; 
— (m) ibid. 61-6-28-2. Ibid. 
II. Tribe NITELLEAE 
2. Nitella A g. em. A. Br. 
1. Subgenus Nitella (= Anarthrodactylae) 
2. Section Rajia R.D.W. (= Acuminatae) 
3. Nitella acuminata A. Br. ex Wallm., em. 
R.D.W. — Nitella acuminata Braun ex Wall- 
man (1853:35, and 1854:263) (including 
”N. acuminata ” var. Bellangeri Braun, 1849: 
292); em. Wood (1962^:16). 
Figs. 1, 4 
REFERENCES FOR FIJI: none. 
DESCRIPTION OF FIJI MATERIAL: Plants mo- 
noecious, (5-) 15-20 (-35) cm high, mod- 
erately slender to stout, with or without a 
dendroid central stalk and with or without fer- 
tile heads. Axes moderately stout, 600-1200 ft 
in diameter; internodes 1-2 times longer than 
the branchlets, 1-7 cm long. Branchlets, fertile, 
6-1 in a whorl, 1-4 (-5) cm long but some- 
times reduced, 1 -furcate into 2-3 secondaries 
(dactyls in this case); primaries 3A-44 of branch- 
let length; sterile similar to fertile, not reduced. 
Dactyls, fertile, 2 (-3), ( 1/10—) V 5 —V 5 of 
branchlet length, 0.3-3 cm long, 1 -celled, taper- 
ing to an elongate acute or acuminate tip; sterile 
similar to fertile, but not reduced. Heads un- 
common, but upper whorls occasionally some- 
what compacted into loose clusters 1-10 mm 
across; without mucus. Gametangia conjoined 
at branchlet nodes, but where reduced whorls 
occur the gametangia are nearly completely re- 
stricted to these heads; generally 1 antheridium 
and 1-2 (-3 ) lateral oogonia at a node. Oogonia 
1-2 (-3) at a node, 350-390 ft long (exclud- 
ing coronula) by 295-320 /x wide; convolutions 
8-9; coronula (28-) 30-35 /x high and 42-50 
(-64) /x wide, persistent, upper cells slightly 
longer than lower. Oospores dark brown, 248- 
280 /x long and (210-) 225-240 /x wide; striae 
of 5-6 (-7) flanged ridges; fossa regular and 
40-50 ft across or variable and 37-50 ft across; 
membrane pale brown, smooth or loosely tuber- 
culate with 15-18 (-30) figures across fossa, 
1— 3 diameters apart (spec. a). Antheridia 224- 
280 /x in diameter; 8-scutate. 
This is the only Fijian charad which is ecorti- 
cated and which has routinely 1 -furcate branch- 
lets. N. furcata, which usually has branchlets 
2 - more furcate, may appear 1 -furcate at times 
and resemble N. acuminata; but a close exami- 
nation will reveal small terminal, 2 -celled dac- 
tyls, whereas the entire dactyl is 1 -celled in N. 
acuminata. 
