fW i t ì !
r t h a vc.y thiu etticular layev „f the froud. The presence of tMs eutiele ¡s owing to the pecnliar .nanncr
m wluch the snperfirafe or sporrferons colls of the frond dehisce transversely. aUowing the dispersion of the spores
( J io n u in the dissection of Macrocystis, given at P late CLXIX., CLXX. Fiy. 2)
This an d th e following are trnly wonderful whether seen iu the water or on the beaeh ■ for they are
arborescent, d.ehotomonsIy branched trees, with tbe branches pendulous and again divided into sprays, from which
r i t c T I : 1 ‘ ' 7 ' 7 ‘“ “fr t b e V m n a r S
or olitT T t ' 7 a ’ fr™“ “'™» "P"'“"-“’“- Tfr«" are attached iu groups
foreét 7 t h Y T ” '; 7 “ “““ “'fr™'"'“ »a to form a miukture
r urt t ( h i t; : 7 ' Y " b T " “ ‘“fr™“*
f t 1 7 ,1 e Ï ” ■ “ fr"for 1 e ma, there vtaness, in the Autarotie regrous, aud below the sm-fa5c'e of the ocean, as busy“ af rs“c"e8n'fer “as' i—s presteinotue d;
t 5 1 7 7 7 t , r "fr‘fr ”“ fr I ^t the bases,
.md amongst the tangled roots swarm thousands of Crustacea and Sudiata, whilst Ssh of several species d.m-t arnonret
hence thonsarrds of these trees are flm.g ashore by the waves, .and with the Uac-ocystis, and EUrritlea, form
d et h th “ " ° T 7 r t t “ fr““ “"“‘““ t, some yards broad, and three feet in
depth; upper edge of this belt of putrefying matter is weU in-shore. rvMlst the outer or seaward edge dips mto
he water, and receives the .aecnmiilating „a-eek from the snb-maidne forests throughout its whole length A lo n re t
Imse masses the best r tfy . ofthe Palkl.ands .ai-e found, though if the weather be müd, tbe stench, w t b re s em b t
pn nd cabbage, is so strong as to be almost insufferable. The ignorant observer at once takes tbe trunks ot Ze«o„ia
is washed up for pieces of drift-wood, and on one oecasioii. no persuasion coidd prevent the captam of a briv from
emplojmig his boat and boat’s crew, during two bitterly cold days, in ooReeting this ineomhustible weed for feel !
The trunks, which contract to one-fourth of their original dimensions when diy. .and become deeply furrowed
are perfectly smooth and cartdaginons when ft-esh. On being cut across, the cm-ious .appearance of coneentrié
d iptieal rings, m many respects similar to, though very different from, those of an Exogenous trunk, is very evident
These rmgs smronnd a lance-shaped pale Une. which oeenpies the broad axis of the compressed stem, withoift reaelnim
across ft, and appe.ai-s to afford some rude imUcation of the age of the plant, though of this we could by Z
means satisfy ourselves. I t is singular that this, the most arborescent of the Algm. .and the boantifnl L e a
meUxaMue the most tree-hke m form of the LkUue, are nearly the only plants of the Orders to which they
respectively belong, oonspicucusly presenting even a semblance, if it be no more, to a growth that indicates an
increase by periodical accessions to tbe circumference.
.1, l ¥ ‘fr“ ■'fr'“ “ '* “ “““ fry by ‘ic Gauchoes, for knife-handles *-
the haft of the instrument is plunged into a rudely-shaped piece of this weed, which contracts into a substancé
harder than horn. The range of the present species is from the F.alkla„d Islands to Cape Horn, .and thence
nortii along the coasts of South America probably to Valparaiso.
P late CLXVII.--CLXVIIL r t.- a p e x of a branch and fronds, of the natural size; rt. 1, portion of stem
showing layers of cellular tissue and air-ccll :—magnified.
2 L e sso n ia nigrescens, Bory, λ Buperrey Yog. Bot. Crgpt. p. 80, t. 5. Post, et S vp p r . Illu st. Alg.
pp. 2 et 4 . t. 4 et 3 9 . f. 11 et 1 3 . (Ta b. C LX V IL— C LX V III. C.)
ILab. Hermite Island, Cape Horn, and the Falkland Islands ; very abundant, with the former species.
A species very simüar to the preceding in general appearance, but of a different consistence and colour.
1 1 7 1 7 1 7 - 7 7 ' ’^ ' ' ^ “ ““fr '"y *'*“ 0 * ‘“y” “" f“ - simii»' purposes, as is noticed by our excellent
friend Dr, NeiU, in his interesting account of the Orkney Islands.
I
Palldanik, etc] FLORA A NTAR CT ICA. 459
Fructification forming a large oblong or linear sorus between the base and middle of the frond, of a rich
i-cd-bi-own colour wben bold between the eye and light, imbedded in the thickened substance of the frond, which
decays witb it. On a transverse section the soriferous lamina is seen to be hollow in the centre ; or rather the
soi-ns is fonned of two parallel plates, each covered externaUy with densely aggregated spores, which occupy what
arc the superficial ceUs of other parts of tbe frond. Below the superficial series of ceUs, and especially in fertile
specimens beneath the spores, are several, 4-6 or many more, air-cavities, reposing on, and separated from each other
by a loose ceUular tissue, wMcb is hexagonal, transparent, the ceUs becoming transversely elongated and finaUy
towards the centre of the frond breaking up into a layer of matted filaments, which surrounds the cavity, a
structure resembling very closely tbat of Iticus confluens as given by Turner. When dry, tbe surface of the plant is
covered with white efllorescence, similar to that of Laminaria saccharim, it has been analysed by my friend
Mr. Stenliouse of Glasgow, who finds it to contain exceUent Manna, and who further informs me that this and
the other larger Antarctic Algce are peculiarly rich in Iodine.
The Lessonia ciuercifolia of Bory, is described and figured as havmg the frond covered with cavities containing
spores, whence it would appear to belong to Fueoidece, and to be more aUied to D' Vrmllea than to this genus.
Lessonia ciliata of Postel aud Rupprecht, is certainly only the young state of Macrocystis pyrifera.
Plate CLXVII.—CLXVIII.— C. transverse section of frond in fructification :—highly magnified.
3 . L essonia ovata. Hook. fil. et H arv .; stipite brevi vage dicbotome ramoso, ramis brevibus divaricatis,
frondis laciniis breviter petiolatis, petiolo in laminam ovatam bneari-ovatamve olivaceo-fuscescentem submem-
branaceam dilatato. (Ta b. C LX V II.—C L X V III. .B; et T ab. CLXXI. C.)
H a b . Hermite Island, Cape Horn, and th e Falkland Islan d s; very abundant.
Radix e fibris peiqilurimis crassis iifti-icatis massam 1 -2 ped. latam efiicientibus. Stipites e radice plui-imi (ut in
Maerocysti) 4 -6 unc. longi, torti v. fiexuosi, crassitie poUicis humanæ, dichotome fissi, demum solitarii, incrassati,
subai-borescentes. Lanunce pedales, colore et substantia L. fuscescentis, juniorcs basi obscure smuato-dentatæ ;
adiiltæ iutegerrimæ.
Certainly veiy near L. fuscescens -, but as far as could be judged on examining the plant, both on the shores it
inhabits and in the herbarium, it has good claims to be considered a distinct species, especially in the many short
stipites, short branches and broad leaves. Never having seen the fruit, however, it may prove the young of
L. fiiscescens, for we can well suppose only one out of the many stems of that plant to attain any great dimensions,
and tbe lamina of the young state to be broader than that of the adult.
The ramification of all the species of Lessonia is dichotomous ; each plant in a young state consists of a few
rooting and clasping fibres, giving off a single stem (or petiole) aud ffond. This frond splits at the base, and as
the growth proceeds, the fissure extends vertically upwards, till the original fr-ond is bisected ; each of the two
parts is now a complete frond, altogether similar to the primary one, and provided with a petiole of its own : these
ao-aiii divide, and the process is repeated. Hence the rapid growth of this genus, and hence the origin of the
flattened form of ramuli and elliptic core which is placed in the long axis of these ramuli and across the axis of the
terete stem. I t was not observed ivhetber any relation existed between the number of branches on the whole frond
and of concentric rings iu the ti-imk. The latter are probably the indices of the niunber of times that a subdirision
of the laminæ has occui-red, supposing that all split at about the same epoch, rather thau a register of the years
the vegetable has existed j as the folloiving account of the anatomy of this species will show.
A branched portion of the plant, terminated by fom- laminæ, necessarily presents siibdirisions of three periods
of growth : 1st, the petioles of the four laminæ ; 2nd, the two ramidi from which the foiu- are given off ; aud 3rd,
the one branch which gii'cs oil* the two latter : these were successively examined.
1. The base of the lamina or petiole is exceedingly compressed, and composed of a mass of cellular tissue of
f r i
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