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N O STO C CCERÜLEÜM.
Small blue Nostoc.
C l a s s a n d O r d e r CRYPTOGAMIA ALGjE, Linn—N a t . O r d . CHJETOPHO.
ROIDEJE, Grev ALGA3, Juss. ^c.
GENERIC CHARACTER.
Massa gelatinosa, dìfformis vel globosa, filis simplicibus, curvatis, moniliformibus
fa rc ia .—L y n g b y e .
A gelatinous, shapeless or globose mass, filled with simple, curved, monili-
form filaments.
s pec ific character.
N ostoc coeruleum; fronde minuta, globosa, solitaria, solida, icevi, coerulea, sub-
pellucida ; filis intemis simplicibus, curvatis, moniliformibus.—L yngb.
N. frond minute, globose, solitary, solid, smooth, pale blue, subpellucid; filaments
simple, curved, moniliforra.
N ostoc coeruleum, Lyngb. Hydroph. Dan. p. 201. t. 68.
H ab. In flowing water, and in very moist places, attached to various mosses.
In the grounds of D r Buchanan H amilton, near Callender. May.
Plants 1-2 lines in diameter, gelatinous, globose, gregarious, b u t distinct,
subpellucid, of a delicate pale blue colour, rarely almost colourless: solid,
and filled with simple, curved, moniliform filaments, the joints of
which appear to separate spontaneously, and probably supply the place
of sporules. In drying, they shrink almost to nothing.
A very elegant and delicate little plant, only described by
L y n g b y e , who has also given an indifferent figure of it. It
is probably of frequent occurrence, aud grew in the utmost profusion
in the spot where I discovered it.
Fig. 1. N. cceruleum, nat. size, on Hypnum aduncum. Fig. 2. Several plants
removed. Fig. 3. Filaments, some o f their joints having separated.—Figs. 2,
and S. tnagnifed.
VOL. I II .