Contributions to Japanese Characeae.—III. 
i$Y T. F. Allen. 
A.—NEW SPECIES OF NITELLA. 
The following Japanese species of Nitella seem to belong, 
properly, to the subdivisions diarthrodactylae , homoeophyllae , mo- 
noicae, subflabellatae , congestae, microsporae. This group, founded 
on N. axillaris A. Br. (from Caracas, S. Am.), is, in general, char¬ 
acterized by a condensation of the fertile verticils in close spike¬ 
like racemes (the new N. rigida , Saitoiana and 7 anakiana) ; or in 
dense axillary clusters ( N. .axillaris A. Br. and N. Morongn 
Allen). 
The group has been divided by Nordstedt into two : (i) With 
small spores, 290 to 340 long, and (2) With large spores, 400 to 
450 long ; the capitula of the latter are either terminal or axillary. 
The species with smaller spores may be arranged as follows 
(according to size of spore) : 250, N. Morongii Allen ; 275, N. 
Saitoiana ; 285, N. rigida ; 290, N. axillaris A. Br. ; 306, N. 
Tanakiana ; of these N. rigida Allen bears fruit in elongated 
axillary and terminal spikes ; N. Tanakiana Allen also, but the 
spikes are rather like condensed upper verticils ; N. Saitoiana 
Allen has more open upper fertile verticils ; while N. Morongn 
Allen bears fertile verticils in dense axillary clusters. 
Nitella rigida sp. nov. 
Plants erect, strict, almost rigid, 15-20 cm. long; branches 
strictly erect, not spreading, lower sterile leaves 4 to 6 in a whorl, 
6—8 cm. long ; divided near the apex into 3—5 short branches, 
which usually are once again divided into two short terminals. 
From the sterile verticils, long “spikes” of fertile leaves arise, 
which may exceed the length of the stem ; the fertile verticels 
are at first remote, but become crowded above; the entire 
“ spread” of a fertile verticil is scarcely more than 3 or 4 mm. ; 
the fertile leaves, usually 5 in a whorl, are 2- (rarely 3-) divided ; 
the first segment 54—60 in diam. ; the first node bears 5 divisions ; 
the second node carries 2 or 3 terminals ; the second segment of the 
leaf is 45—60 in diam. ; the terminals are about 25 in diam., rarely 
( 7 ) 
