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130
THE MARINE ALGÆ OF NEW ENGLAND.
One of the commonest and most beautiful of the genus south of Cape Cod, but only known in one
locality north of the Cape. It is often brought up on fishermen’s nets, and, as a rule, inhabits deeper
water than most of the genus. It often attains the height of four or five inches, and is broadly pyramidal
in outline. The main branches are rather stout and distinctly corticated, but the ultimate ramifications
are very soft and flaccid. With us seirosporic specimens are very common, making the species easily
distinguishable, but no form of tetraspore or bispore has been observed on American specimens.
According to Bornet, tetraspores, bispores, and seirospores sometimes occur on the same individual.
From a comparison of our plant with authentic European specimens there can be no doubt of the
specific identity of the two. Accepting the account of the cystocarps given by Bornet, it is extremely
doubtful whether the species should be kept in the present genus, and perhaps the genus Seirospora
should be restored, not, however, as originally adopted by Harvey.
SPECIES INQUIRENDÆ.
C. TENUE, Harv., Ner. Am. Bor., Part III, p. 130. (Griffithsia tenuis, Ag.)
Filaments tufted, ultra-capillary, irregularly much branched, diffuse, flexuous, the
branches and their divisions very generally secund, springing from the middle of the
internodes; ramuli few and distant, patent, filiform, beset toward the attenuated
apices with whorls of minute byssoid fibers; articulations cylindrical, those of the
branches 4-6 times, those of the ramuli 3-4 times as long as broad, and gradually
shorter towards the extremities.
Beesley’s Point, N. J., Harvey.
Two specimens which can probably be referred to the present species have been received from
Nantucket, one presented by Mrs. Lusk, the other by Mr. Collins. In the absence of fruit the genus
cannot be determined. Nægeli, in Beitrage zur Morphologie und Systematik der Ceramiceæ, says that
the tetraspores are terminal on a single-celled pedicel. According to Harvey, the species is distinguished
by the branches, which are all given off from the middle of the internodes of the branches of the
preceding grade, Nægeli says that this species has normal branches like those of Griffithsia barbata,
and he regards those given off from the internodes as adventive branches.
C. TOCWOTTONIENSIS, Harv. MSS., fide Bailey.
Providence, Bailey; Warwick, Hunt.
As far as we know, this species, mentioned by S. T. Olney in his List of Rhode Island Plants,
fortunately for pointers and the throats of American algologists, has never been described.
GRIFFITHSIA, Ag.
(Named in honor of Mrs. Griffiths, of Torquay.)
Fronds filiform, monosiphonous, without cortications, dichotomously branching,
branches of two kinds, the vegetative of indeterminate, the fructiferous of
determinate growth; antheridia sessile and covering the upper surface of the
terminal cells in tufted whorls at the nodes, or in densely whorled pyramidal tufts
on involucrate branches; tetraspores