Supplement to his work on Confervse. It does not appear to have
been noticed by earlier writers. It is very closely related to C. arda
and C. uncialis, from the former of which it differs chiefly by its
smaller size and less branching filaments, and from the latter
more by habit than by any very decided characters. The so-
called species of the genus Cladophora ought, in many cases, to be
regarded more properly as tolerably constant forms or varieties,
than truly distinct organisms; but as similar doubts of the validity
of species encumber the nomenclature of plants far higher in
the system, we may the more readily tolerate them here.
The proper time has, perhaps, arrived for dismembering the old
genus Conferva, Ag., as proposed by several continental authors
and carried out in this country by Mr. Hassall in his “ Fresh-water
Algse.” Kiitzing, whose name Cladophora I here adopt (although
in strict justice Chloroniton, GaiU., ought to be preserved), distributes
the Agardhian Confervae into twelve genera, six of which
only concern the British Flora. Of these (Edogonium, Link, is
identical with Mr. Hassall’s Vesiculifera, and with the still older
Tiresias, Bory, which latter name should he adopted. Conferva
is retained for the species with simple threads, whose fruit is imperfectly
known. Bhizogonium is proposed for Conf. riparia, Ag.,
and its allies; while Jdgagropila, founded on C. mgagropila and
Spongomorpha, on C. uncialis, I include in the genus now called
Cladophora. It would he clearly a most artificial arrangement
to separate C. uncialis generically from C. lanosa and C. arcta.
Fin-. 1. Cl a d o ph o r a l a n o sa :— natural size. 2. Portion of a filament 3. Por-
tion of tlie lower part of a filament. 4. Apex of ditto :—magmjied.