Characeae of Fiji — W ood 
27 
2 -furcate (spec, e, t, u)- — ("N. Gibhsiae” J. Gr., 
ined. ) . For convenience, these could be desig- 
nated by such descriptive names as f. glomerata, 
diffusa, mathuatae, elongata, fruticosa, minima. 
The original collections of N. mathuatae (as 
"N. muthnatae”) were distributed from the U. S. 
National Fferbarium under the label of the 
United States Exploring Expedition and, aside 
from giving the location as "Muthnate Island” 
and the year as 1838-42, no data were added. 
Wilkes reported ( 1845:225, 234) that the ships 
anchored at "Muthuata Village” (Macuata) on 
June 19 and departed July 2, 1840. The entry 
concerning "Muthuata Island” (Macuata-i-wai) 
(loc. cit., p. 230, 231) makes no mention of plant 
collecting. Thus, it is not clear when or by whom 
fe N. muthnatae” was gathered; but, as the speci- 
mens were well mounted and the ship was in 
Macuata for a limited time, it is here arbitrarily 
assumed that they were done by the botanists, 
Rich and Brackenridge, in June 1840. The exact 
location is not specified, but Macuata-i-wai is a 
small island less than a mile long, and in 1961 
was said by the natives to have four creeks with 
standing-water holes. Concerning Macuata, it is 
curious that Derrick (1957) described it as de- 
serted, rocky, and dense with Casuarina trees; 
that Wilkes ( 1845) described it as uninhabited 
and used for burials; whereas, in 1961, it had 
remnants of an extensive village, was reported 
as the stronghold of paramount chiefs, and had 
grassy upland with a coastal belt of coconut trees. 
Could there have been another Macuata just off 
Vanua Levu? 
HABITATS : Rice fields, taro patch, drainage 
ditch, pool by bridge, pool below waterfall, pool 
behind beach, streams, and creeks. 
DISTRIBUTION: In Fiji, collected on Viti Levu 
(Colo North, Lautoka, Nadroga, Naitasiri, Rewa, 
and Serua), Ovalau, and Vanua Levu (Macuata 
and Macuata-i-wai). N. pseudoflabettata is wide- 
spread in the eastern hemisphere and is known 
from Madagascar, India, Ceylon, Burma, China, 
Japan, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, 
and Fiji. 
SPECIMENS: OVALAU ISLAND: (a) R. D. 
Wood and Bernard Vunibobo 61— 6-13-1 . June 
13, 1961. In ca. 3 inches of clear, flowing water, 
drainage ditch on village green, Nacobo Koro, 
ca. 6.4 miles along road S from Levuka (RDW 
1567, Fig. 4) (CYT F 2, n = 18; delicate, 3-fur- 
cate into 5-6 secondaries one of which is central, 
4 tertiaries, 3 quaternaries) ; VANUA LEVU: 
Macuata: (b) R. D. Wood and Vakuru Waibuta 
6 1-6-29-2 A. June 29, 1961. In ca. 6 inches of 
water, mud bottom, ricefield W of Nakoroutari 
Road, ca. 2 miles S of Nakama Road, ca. 5 miles 
5 of Labasa ( oospores 300 X 210 g, striae 5, 
flanged, fossa 63 fx across, membrane granular- 
papillate, ca. 10 papillae across fossa; mixed with 
C. corallina)\ — (c) ibid. 61-6-29-3. Ibid, (an- 
theridia ca. 224 fx in diam); — (d) ibid. 61—6— 
29-3. Ibid. ( formal, only; mixed with C. coral- 
lina) ; — (e) ibid. 61-6-29-6A. Ibid, (formal, 
only; mixed with C. corallina ) ( ee N. gibbsiae” 
J. Gr., CYT F 17, n = 18; tiny, with dense termi- 
nal heads); — (f) ibid. 61-6-29-7 . Ibid, (for- 
mal. only; mixed with C. corallina; gelatinous 
heads, ca. 2 X 1.5 mm); — (g) ibid. 61-6-29- 
1 A. Ibid, (crumbled to fragments); — (h) ibid. 
61-6-29-8. Ibid, (nodes frequently swollen, 
branchlets stiff and straight, CYT F 18, n = 18); 
— (i) ibid. 61-6-30-10. June 30, 1961. Abun- 
dant in ca. 1 ft of clear water, silty-sandy-mud 
bottom, pool known as "Nalioniga” W of road 
ca. 1 mile past Seaqaqa Agric. farm (mixed with 
and labeled C. corallina) ; — (j) ibid. 61-6-30- 
11. Ibid, (formal, only; mixed with C. corallina) ; 
— (k) ibid. 61-6-30-12. Ibid., but common in 
10 inches of water (RDW 1544, Fig. 1) (exhibits 
inflorescence-like upper axial whorls); — (1) 
ibid. 61-6-30-1 2 A. Ibid, (formal, only; no heads 
nor mucus, mature $ and $ ); Macuata-i-wai 
[Mathuata Island] : (m) ibid. 61-6-30-2. Com- 
mon at margin in ca. 10 inches of clear water, 
sandy bottom, pool in creek [on hill side] at 
place known locally as "Vuniwesi” in shallow 
valley ca. Va the way around S edge of island 
from koro [at NE point] (soft and delicate 
branchlets, fossae ca. 42 /x across); — (n) ibid. 
61-6-30-3. Ibid, (formal, only; mucus heads, 
variable branchlets (some simple), oogonium 
440 X 354 fx, convolutions 9, coronula 20 X 50 
;x wide, upper cells slightly longer than lower, 
oospore brown, fossa ca. 46 /x across, membrane 
