■ 4 '
•5f S
ït is a matter of regret to me that I have it not in my
power to decide who was reaUy the discoverer of this singularly
elegant Alga. I only know that it was found on the same
coast, both by Mrs G r i f f i t h s and JMrs H a r e , and that the
date attached to the specimens obtained by the former lady is
that of May 1823.
There is no other species of Sphacellaria so delicate in its
appearance as this charming little plant, whose strong resemblance
to a finely divided Hypnum, suggested the specific
name. One of its most striking characters under the micro-
scope, is the axillary branchlet in the pinnæ and the pinnulæ •
It thus happens in both cases, that two branchlets are given off
from the upper side, before one is given off from the lower side
of the pinnæ and pinnulæ. A second remarkable feature is
the very obtuse termination of all the subdivisions of the frond ;
and a third, the absence of the dark-coloured longitudinal
strioe which are present in the species most nearly related to
it.
:
Fig. l. S hypnoides, natural size. Fig. 2. One o f the pinnæ near the top.
f ig . S. Summit of the stem, or o f a primary branch; magnified.