il’i
discovered magnificent specimens growing along the mud-covered
base of the harbour pier at Torquay, in which locality it may be
found in more or less plenty every summer. More recently it
has been found in Wales and Cornwall. From Mrs. Griffiths it
received the very appropriate name of “ Fern-leaf,” aptly expressing
the finely pinnated character of the branches, which do indeed
closely resemble fairy ferns, so delicate that it is altogether impossible
in a figure to do justice to their beauty. Our representation
of the natural size must therefore be regarded as merely giving the
general eflPect of a specimen held at arms length from the eye.
As a species, it is very closely related to Cai. timyoideum, with
which it agrees in many characters, but from which it may be
known by the greater proportionate length and breadth of the
plumules, their more distichous arrangement and closer position;
the shorter and more cylindrical joints of the main branches,
and larger size of the frond. Both species agree in producing
their tetraspores on the tips of the ultimate ramuli, a character
by which they differ from all other British species with decompound
pinnate fronds.
Fig. 1. C a l l it h a m n io n g r a c il l im u m :—natural me. 2. A plumule : mtyj-
° nijied. 3. Eamulus witli tetraspores. 4. Ramulus with a favella. 5. Portion
of a favella ruptured, and dischar^ng seeds 6. Tetraspores removed and
dissected:—all more or less magnified.