The English flora - SeaweedAfrica

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380 ALG^ CONFERVOIDEjE. [Chroulejms.
articulations about four times as long as broad
Conferva rubiginosa, Dillw. Conf. t. 68.
p. 33.
On rotten wood. Dillw.
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Ag. Syst. Alg.
4. M. phosphoreum, Ag. (violet-blue Mycinetna); filaments
branched ascending very short violet-blue densely interwoven
into an uniform crust, articulations once and a half as long as
broad. Ag. Syst. Alg.p. 33.— Conferva phosphorea, Dilho. Conf.
t, 88.
Auricularia phosphorea, Sow. Fung. v. III. t. 350.
On decaying wood.
80. Chroolepus. Ag. Chroolepus.
Filaments rigid, subsolid, opaque, falling to powder, erect,
minute ;
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joints often contracted.—Name, y^oog, a skin, and Xs-ttw,
to decorticate; from the change which the filaments undergo.
Small as this genus is, it contains two distinct tribes; thefirst, or
legitimate Chroolepus, is intermediate between Protonema and
Trentepohlia ; the second includes some minute objects which
ought surely to be removed to the byssoid fungi, perhaps to the
genera Monilia or Hdmisporium. Mr. Arnott, indeed, is of
opinion, with Fries, that the whole should form the modified
genus Byssus, and be removed from the Algce.
1. Orange, red, or yellow, rarely greenish. (Amphiconium, Spr.)
1. C. aureus, (orange Chroolepus); filaments forming soft
cushion-like tufts flexuose irregularly branched yellow-green or
orange, articulations twice as long as broad.— Trentepohlia
aurea, Ag. Syst. Alg.p. 36.— Conferva aurea, Dillw. Conf. t. 35.
—Byssus aurea, E. Bot. t. 212. Ectocarpus aureus, Lyngb.
Hydroph. Dan. t. 44. Amphiconium aureum, Spr.— Conf. ilicicola,
E. Bot. t. 1639.
On rocks and trees, very common.—This forms beautiful velvetty
cushions, of a chlorous, orange or brick-red colour, fading, after long
keeping in the herbarium, to a dull ash-grey. I hope I shall not be
accused of mischievously adding to the already numerous synonyms of
this little plant, by removing it to the present genus, which I have done,
from its very strong affinity to the four following species, (an affinity
already pointed out by Fries) 1 ; indeed, I am inclined to suspect,
they are mere varieties, resulting from difference of locality. With
neither Trentepohlia pulchella nor purpurea, has C. aureus any affinity.
2. C. Jolithus, Ag. (orange-red Chroolepus); filaments tufted
erect very short orange-red dichotomous, articulations once and
a half as long as broad.
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Ag. Syst. Alg. p. 34.
On rocks, in woods, &c.— Mr. Arnott suspects this to be only a state
of C. aureus ; in which I am inclined to agree with him.
3. C. odordtus, Ag. (sweet-scented Chroolepus); filaments
branched tufted short erect fulvous, branches patent rigid, articu-
1 Syst. Orb. Veget. v. 1. p. 309.
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