the Chinese form, the Japanese plant is strikingly different in its 
general habit, and, following the advice of Nordstedt, I give it a 
distinct varietal name imperialis. 
Nitella pseudoflabellata ramuscula var. nov. 
Plants about 15 cm. long, diffusely branched, slender, about 
400 p in diam. Verticils often crowded (the leaves exceeding the 
length of the internodes), consisting of 8 leaves. The leaves are 
5—8 mm. in length ; the first segment longer than half the length of 
the leaf\ 175—220 in diam. The leaf is usually thrice divided; 
the first 7 iode sterile, bears 6—7 rays ; the second, fertile, bears 5 
rays ; the third node, sterile, bears 2-4 simple, two-celled, ter¬ 
minal rays. In fertile leaves these terminals are again divided, 
but rarely. The second segment is shorter than the first, 75—80 
in diam. ; the third is about the length of the second, 48 in diam. 
Occasionally a ray of the second, fertile, node is undivided and 
elongated to equal the length of the terminal rays. The mucro 
is 20 in diam. at base and 70—80 long. The antheridium is about 
125 in diameter. The oogonia are isolated at the second node, 
only ; the oospore 292 long by 272 broad; with 7—8 faint ridges. 
The surface of the colored membrane is marked by faint granules, 
in very low relief, the tops of the ridges are dotted with more 
prominent granules irregularly disposed, almost as if toothed. 
From the type this variety differs in its more diffuse habit, the 
size of the oospore and by the markings on its surface. 
The plant was gathered in Shakuhachi pond, Kyoto, Japan. 
Nitella pseudoflabellata ramuscula, Allen forma testa-glabra. 
Plants about 30 cm. long, slender, lower verticils remote, 
upper becoming crowded, sparingly branched, stem about 500 p 
in diameter. The verticils consist of eight leaves. The leaves are 
thrice divided (very rarely four times divided). The first seg¬ 
ments of the leaves are quite long, about four-fifths of the entire 
leaf, 150 in diam. The first node is sterile, and consists of 6 or 7 
divisions ; the second node, fertile, has four (usually, rarely 6) 
divisions, with an occasional undivided terminal ray ; the third 
node, sterile, bears three to four terminals. The second segment 
of the leaf is usually short, 80 in diameter; the third segment 
is larger than the second, about 54 in diameter ; the fourth 
(and fifth, when present) are terminal, 50 in diameter, tapering 
to the end ; the mucro 20 p in diameter and 60 long. The an- 
theridia are about 136 in diameter ; the oogonia isolated on the 
second node only. The oospores are 285 long by 272 broad with 
