F U C U S. ' 91 
tlie Central fpace is reduced to a kind of piinfliire ; which 
probably may be defigned for the feed toefcape. Tlie 
branches, when young, are very fender and filifcrni : in 
tlieir mature and diftended (fate they are fiirniflied witli 
very Ihort and tender fpiniiles ; and when difl'edled are 
found to be in part liollow. This fuciis and its defcrip- 
tion feem to agree with the F. concatenatus of Liglitfoot. 
Wheth r it may be tlie fucus which Linnaeus has defcribed 
under that name, remirtnsa more doubtful circumftance. 
The colour of this fucus varies from a darkilh olive to a 
bhickilh chocolate, inclining to a very deep red when re¬ 
cent. See a fprig of this fpccie® in its early fate, at 
fig. 4. 
5. Fucus kaliformis, the kaliform fucus. This elegant 
fpecies approaches very near to the vcrticillatus of Light- 
foot, but appears to differ in fubftance, in colour, and in 
the form and difpofition of the branches. The fubftance 
of it is tender, and approaching to gelatinous. The 
branches which divide diretSly from the root are filiform, 
and tubular. Tliey vary extremely in fize; plants found 
on the coaft of Cornwall exceeding the thicknefs of a 
crow’s quill, whilfl fuch as have been found on the beach 
at Yarmouth fcarcely equal that of the fparrow. The 
fecondary branches vary extremely in their manner of 
proceeding from the primary : fome are oppofite, others 
alternate, but much the larger part appear to grow with¬ 
out any order. The extreme ramuli, which are fliort, 
fubulate, and terminate rather obtufely, are very often 
verticillate, generally three or four in a whorl, and, 
when not regularly fo, have always a vifible tendency to 
that difpofition. The frudtification confifis of globular 
tubercles fellile on the fides of the fmaller branches, fo 
minute as fcarcely to be diftinguifhed by the naked eye, 
bright red, and when filled w'ith feeds, nearly black. 
The colourbf the plant is a pale delicate red ; (omewhat 
mixed with green; a change which is obfervable in moll 
of the gelatinous fpecies. This is delineated in Plate 1 . 
H- 5 -, 
6. h ncus purpurafrens, the purple fucus. This fpecies 
differs from all its affinities by its fruttification, which 
confilfs of roundilh, or fometimesoval, fwellings, placed 
at fome diftance from each other on the fmalleft branches, 
and which, when the plant is mature, are filled witli 
blackifli purple feeds. The frudfification is tiuly an in¬ 
nate tubercle, which occupies the central part of the 
branch, and, as it fwells, caufes that to dilate, and to 
form a gouty knot which is then externally obffirvable. 
The fubftance of the branch is no ways altered by this 
procefs, but retains a confiderable degree of tranfparency. 
The fubftance of the plant, though cartilaginous, is ten¬ 
der, and in fome fpecimens very much approaching to ge¬ 
latinous. The principal hern is continued throughout, and 
is generally naked for a fmall fpace at the bafe, after 
which it is thickly clotlied with branches, of which thofe 
belpw the middle are longeff, and the upper very fhort, 
giving a taffy lanceolate outline to the whole frond. The 
main fiem terminates obtufely at the bafe, from whence 
it throws out feveral inverted radicles, as if for clafping 
more firmly theobjedl to which it is attached. The pri¬ 
mary branches are fometinies oppofite and fometimes al¬ 
ternate, but much more frequently grow without order; 
thefe are again once or twice branched, and the terminal 
ones are not unfrequently crowded. The colour is wild¬ 
ly purple, yet frequently mixed with green : and the 
more the plant approaches to being gelatinous, the lefs 
purple is to be obferved in it. It is found adhering to the 
iub-manne rocks and ftones on almoft every part of the- 
Britifh coafl. See a figure of this beautiful fpecies in the 
Fucus Plate 11 . fig. 1. 
7. Fucus membranifolius, the membrane-leafed frcns. 
Of this there are four varieties,'growing on thecoall of Nor¬ 
folk, on the ifleof Portland, and generally on the rocky 
fhores of England. The cilia on the edges of the variety 
exhibited in the Fucus Plate II. fig. 2, appear to be the 
rudiments of leaves or membranes, and to have no con¬ 
cern in the produflion of any thing relating to the frucli- 
fic.ition. In all the varieties the fniCtification is produced 
on tlie hr.(nches, and is fuppoited by a very fliort pedun¬ 
cle. The colour \biries ; fometimes it is'of a light red ; 
fometimes it appears heib.iccous and green; at,other times 
it isfouiid of a parchment colour, and even white, owing 
to its having been expofed to the fun when cart upon the 
fliore. Ill the figure given in the engraving, tlie bafe of 
the leaves and termii al membrane keeps its colour of 
blood or raw fleffi in all exrofures. 
8. Fucus ciliatu>, the ciliated fucus. This fpecies, asit 
puts on different appearances, has formed three of Gmelin : 
his ligulatus, 'awA. holefetactus. The frond is at firff 
membranareoits, divided almoft immediately from the 
root, tlie branches one half or three fourths of an inch 
broad, tlie margins fringed with numerous cilia. This is 
Gmelin’s ctYwf'tts. In fome fpecimens many ligults Are in- 
terfperfed among the cilia, which are nothing more than 
young brandies. This is the ligulatus of Gmelin. When 
the plant is arrived at maturity it acquires a thicker fub¬ 
ftance, and becomes almoft cartilaginous ; and in this 
ftate each furface of the frond is frequently rough, with 
numerous round fpines from half a line to a line in length, 
of Ivhicli fome are bifid. Some of ihefe bear globular 
tubercles filled with feeds, and are certainly no other than 
the peduncles of thefe tubercles, thougli many of them 
areabortive. This is Gmelin’s The maigi- 
nal cilia are always fimple ; fuch as appear otherwife be¬ 
ing in fadabout to form young branche.s; thefe 
fometimes, but rarely, bear tubercles. It adheres firm¬ 
ly to the rocks by its fibrous bafe, and when taken out of 
the water is generally of a pale flefii colour, but, on being 
expofed to the air, foon acquires a full red; but fome- 
times it is found of a bright red colour wliilft in a grow¬ 
ing ftate. Found frequently on the Britifh coaft. A 
figure of it is given in Plate II. fig. 3. 
g. Fucus ve/iculoftis, the veficulated fucus, orfeaoak. 
Of this fucus, the various authors who have written on 
the fubjecl, have divided the fix varieties included in the 
deiiomiiiation veficulofus, into fix diftindt fpecies ; but iia- 
tiire has (hewn the true limit : the appearance of veficles 
or bladders in tlie frond is its unerring charaderiftic. In 
the firft variety the veficles are ranged on each fide of the 
rib throughout the frond, and alfo at the axillaj. The 
frond itfclf varies in having its branches from a quarter 
of an inch to a full inch in breadth, with edges either 
plane or undulated, as in^2V(2//j. The ends of the bran¬ 
ches when in frudificatiouare Iwollen and fomewhat acute. 
A figure of this variety is givenunder Botany, PlateXV^. 
with the parts of frudification delineated and explained, 
in vol. iii. p. 287. The fecqnd variety, or, divaricatus, is 
remarkable for having the bladders in fome of the axillae 
(forit is by no means conftant in all) extremely dilated, 
as if two veficles had been confluent into one ; in confe- 
quence the branches fork off wider than ufual, and be¬ 
come divaricated. This variety is found in Southampton 
river, often fomewhat twifted. The third variety, injla- 
tus, feems to be occafionedLy a difeafe. By fome means 
or other a body of air is introduced between the two coats 
of the frond, and thus gives it a bladder-like appearance. 
That it is accidental is evident, from its not happening 
uf'ually in more than one or two branches in any given 
plant. The fourth variety, acutus, is lb called from the 
lanceolate terminations of its branches. The fame plant, 
however, occafionally furniffies lanceolate terminations, 
and others bluntiffi. The fifth variety, _/o//acew, is mere¬ 
ly a plant which, in the vigour of its growth having been 
broken off by fome accident, endeavours to repair itfelf 
in an irregular manner, producing clufters of new branch¬ 
es refembling obovate leaves. Thefe are principally from 
the broken extremities; but they are alfo found on the 
Tides, and even upon the expanded root.. This is fhewn 
in the Fucus Plate II. fig. 4. growing on a (hell; and at 
a, is exhibited a fmall part of the frond magnified, to 
fliew thbfine hairs which Reaumur miftook for male flow¬ 
ers. 
