F . K ..H ilxrl.el l i t h .
Ser. M e la n o sp e rm eæ . Fam. Fuceoe.
P la t e CIX.
SARGASSUM BACCIFERUM, Ag.
G e n . C h a r . Frond furnislied with distinct, stalked, nerved leaves, and
sunple, axillary, stalked air-vessels. Beceptacles small, linear, tnbercu-
lated, mostly in axiUary clusters, ceUular, pierced by numerous pores,
which communicate with immersed, spherical conceptacles containing
parietal spores and tufted antheridia. S a rg a ssum {Buwph.)—a word
formed from the Spanish saergazo, the name apphed to the floating
sea-weed observed by navigators.
S a rg a ssum bacciferum; stem cylindrical, slender, much branched, flexuous;
leaves Unear, serrated, mostly without muciferous pores; air-vessels
abundant, spherical, on cyUndrical stalks, commonly mucronate.
Sargassum bacciferum, Ag. Sp. Alg. vol. i. p. 6. Ag. Syst. p. 294. Spreng.
Syst. Veg. vol. iv. p. 320. Gi-eo. Alg. Brit. p. 3. Hoolc. Br. M. vol. ii.
p. 264. Harv. Man. p. 17.
F ucus bacciferum. Turn. Hist. t. 47. Sm. E. Bot. t. 1967.
F u cu s natans, Esper, Ic. vol. i. p. 49. t. 23.
F u cu s sargasso, Gmel. Hist. Fuc. p. 92.
H a b . OocasionaUy cast on the British coasts, but not a native of our
waters. Orkney Islands, Br. P. Neill. Shore of Castle Eden Dean,
Durham, Mr. W. Baehhoiise.
Geogr. D istb. Tropical and sub-tropical ocean, throughout both hemispheres,
always found floating on the sm-face of the sea.
Desce, Fronds a foot or more in length. Stems growing in all directions from
a central point, forming globular, floating tufts, cylindrical, filiform, slender,
flexuous or angularly bent, twice or thrice divided; branches long, simple,
alternate, flexuous, pinnated with alternate leaves. Leaves two to three
inches long, one to two lines wide, linear-lanceolate, tapering to either extremity,
destitute of muciferous pores, serrato-dentate, with ii-regularly
distant divaricating sharp teeth, furnished with a strong, perourrent midrib.
Vesicles spherical, with or without a mucro, borne on short, cylindrical
stalks in the axils of the leaves, one or more in each axil. Fructification
unknown. Colour, when growing, a pale transparent greenish olive; when
dry, dark brown or black. Substance between cartflaginous and coriaceous,
brittle when recent.
This plant, the well-known Sargasso or gulf-weed, has clearly
no claims to be admitted to the British Flora, but having already
been introduced into other works, I figiu-e it, though obliged to
make my drawing, from a foreign specimen.
The branch shown in the figure is part of a specimen picked
: y
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