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REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 93
of its basal portion; the presence or absence of a series of alternate depressions and elevations within
the margin; and the position of the fruit. The growing portion of the Laminariæ is at the base of the
lamina, and the apex of the stipe and the old fronds are pushed off by the newly formed ones below. The
fruit is perfected in autumn and winter.
L. LONGICRURIS, De la Pyl. (L. longicruris, Ann. Sci., l. c., Pl. 9 a and b; Phyc. Brit.,
p. 339; Ner. Am. Bor., Vol. I, Pl. 6.)
Exs.—Algæ Am. Bor., Farlow, Anderson & Eaton, No. 117.
Fronds solitary or gregarious, attached by numerous long, slender, branching fibers;
stipe six to twelve feet long, one to two inches thick, slender and solid at the base,
becoming hollow and inflated at the middle and upper part, contracted at the apex;
lamina ovate-lanceolate, five to twenty feet long, two to three feet broad; margin
very wavy, within the margin two rows of depressed spots; fruit forming a
continuous band in the center of the frond; color lightish brown; substance rather
delicate.
Common in deep water, and at Eastport at low-water mark.
From Nahant, Mass., northward; North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
A striking species, easily recognized when in typical condition, but unfortunately variable, though not
so much so as our other species. The root-fibers are long, rather slender, and much branched. The stipe
is slender at the base, but expands gradually upwards until it is at times two inches in diameter. The
greatest diameter is about two-thirds of the way up the stipe, which is then contracted, sometimes
quite suddenly. When young and only a few inches long, the center of the stipe is filled with a solid
mass of delicate filaments, but it soon becomes hollow. When torn from their attachments by storms,
large specimens, in consequence of the hollow stipes, float in a peculiar way, the upper part of the stipe
projecting above the water like an elbow and the lamina dipping below the surface. The lamina is, in
comparison with the stipe, shorter and broader than in our other species. This is especially the case in
young specimens, where the stipe may be several times longer than the lamina. In mature plants,
however, the comparative length of the lamina varies very much with the place of growth. The present
species has never been certainly known to occur south of Cape Cod. Specimens resembling L.
saccharina, but with hollow stipes, have been collected in Long Island Sound. Whether really belonging
to L. longicruris is doubtful, and the subject requires farther investigation.
L. SACCHARINA, (Linn.) Lam.x.?
Frond attached by numerous branching fibers; stipe solid throughout, terete,
somewhat swollen in the middle, three inches to four feet long; lamina elongated,
lanceolate, fusiform or cuneate at base, three to thirty feet long, six to eighteen
inches wide; margin wavy, a row of depressions on each side of lamina; fruit forming
a central band.
Var. PHYLLITIS, Le Jol. (L. phyllitis, Phyc. Brit., Pl. 192.)
Fronds small, lamina thin, margin slightly wavy, base of lamina fusiform.