ramium. They certainly agree well together in habit and
most other characters. They are all of an olivaceous hue,
more or less rigid in substance, filamentous, cylinchical, and
articidated: the articulations almost always equal or nearly so
ill length and breadth. The fronds are either dichotomous, or
branched in a distichous manner. The fructification is of two
kinds: naked granules contained in the dilated summits of the
branches which are at length dehiscent; and capsules on peduncles.
When the naked granules are not present, the summits
of the branches are nevertheless generally somewhat dilated,
hyaline or sphacellated. The capsules are surrounded with
a pellucid limbus, and are produced laterally on different parts
of the frond. The habit of the whole group is so peculiar, that
the naked eye is generally sufficient to refer any of the species
to its place. The other British species are,
Sphacellaria plumosa, Lyngb— Conferva pennata, Smitb, Eng. Bot. t. 2330.
middle figure.
Sph. pmnata, Lyngb.— Conf. pennata, Sm. E. B. t. 2330. upper and lower
figures.—Ceramium cirroswm, A g— Hook. FI. Scot. 2. p. 86.
Sph. scoparia, Lyngb— Conf. scoparia, Sm. E. B. t. 1552.
Sph. olivácea, Grev— Sph. caispitula, Lyngb— Corf, olivácea, Sm. E. B. t. 2172.
Sph. fusca. Conf. fusca, Huds.—Dillw. Conf. t. 95,
The present individual, though of humble growth, is inferior
to none in point of beauty under the microscope; its chief
attraction residing in the abundant racemose capsules. It was
found by my friend Dr R i c h a r d s o n previous to his memorable
journey to the North Sea along with Captain F r a n k l i n , and
kindly communicated to me for description in the Flora Edi-
nensis.
Fig. 1. Tufts o f Sphacellaria racemosa, nat. size. Fig. 2. A single frond.
Figs. 3. & 4. Portions o f the frond, with fructification— All but Fig. 1.
more or less magnified.
I i