A biological study of Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot and D ...

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and less than 60 rom thick at base. Circular or oval in cross
section at base, and flattened distally. Sometimes recessed into
the holdfast and with grooves running around the baseo 'l'hese often
more pronounced on one side. occasionally divided distally I:nt,o
several bough-like branches each supporting a major division of the
lamina; otherwise without laterals. ~=:c..~~ var i ab 1 y
divided. In eJq?osed places deeply cleft int.o numerous (up to 100)
narrot., I ~lIhip-'like thongs highly inflated with honeycomb tissue. In
semi-sheltered places only 31 divided a.nd faintly honeycombed.
Margins undifferentiated. Fine crack S .3,rranged in broken con.cen'l.:r-ic
rings common on the palm. In young specimens the central region of
'the medulla comprised of loosely intenYea.ving, highly branched hyphae
commonly at :r:ight angles to the flattened surfa,ce. Rest of
medulla more compact, but vacuole-like spaces between medullary
hyphae common. Inner cortical cells and medullary cells of bo·th
stipe and lamina with thick gelatinous walls.. Inner cortical cells
in stipe greatly elongated radially. oogonia mainly horne on branched
paxa,physes.
above MLWS to about mid tide level.
In Ne~ ... Zealand is commonly parasitized by the br.o~m alga
Herpodiscus durvilleae.
Circumpolar: Reported growing on all southern isla_nds bet-Neen
40-60"S except. South Georgia, South Sandwich Is, Bouvet: I. and'I'asmania 1 .
Chile as far north as 28"S, Nell} Zealand (Ref. Chapter 4),
(3) DUT'viUaea util-ls Bory I Dic:"/;;ionnaire Classique d 'Histoire
Naturelle. Vol.9:l92, PI.5 (1826).
Bory based this species on Cham.i.sso· s desc:r.iption of nwus
cmto.:t'cticu.s, and stated that the \".\