abmidance, spring short, simple, or slightly branehed, jointed filaments.
The structure of the membrane, as shown at fig. 3, is very beautiful. The
outer sm-face of the frond is composed of slightly inequilateral, 4- or 5-sided
cells with thick walls, and containing a granular, pale-olive endochrome.
These are internally strengthened by a lattice-work which lines the whole
frond, whose meshes are lV l 6 times as large as the cells of the membrane.
We are not informed by whom this species was first observed.
The honour rests between Miss Hutchins and Mr. Borrer, by each
of whom it was found in different localities early in the present
century, and named, by Dillwyn, in honour of Mr. Dawson Turner,
the distinguished author of the ‘ Historia Fucorum.’ Unfortunately
Mr. Dillwyn delayed for several years the publication of
the species, and it first appeared under this name in the volume
of English Botany for 1813 ; in which same year, Lamouroux,
unaware of the long-conferred manuscript name, published it as
a new species, conferring upon it the specific name buUosus, by
which it is still universally known on the continent. It is a
question which specific name has the priority yo.publication, and in
an ordinary case I should feel bound to follow the majority-—^who
have decided in favour of buUosus,—but I am unwilling, without
better grounds, to deprive the Father of modern Phycology of a
weU-merited compliment; and I therefore follow Hooker in
retaining the specific name earliest proposed—though not published.
Asperocoocus Turneri appears to delight in land-locked muddy
bays, where it grows to the gigantic size mentioned in the description.
Specimens upwards of three feet in length, have been
dredged by Mr. Thompson in Strangford Lough. I have seen
individuals not much inferior in the little harbour of Dingle, and
in the long, deep channel which divides Valentia from the mainland.
When growing in deep water its favourite habitat is on
the stems and leaves of Zostera. Specimens gathered within the
tide range are of much smaller size, not more than a few inches
in length. Except in size it is subject to little variation. It
may always be known from A. echinatus by its greater delicacy
of texture, more evident reticulations, paler colour, and more
obtuse and inflated frond.
Fig. 1. A s p ero co o c u s T u r n e r i . 2. Small section magnified, sho-vving the
spots of fructification, vertical view. 3. Fragment more highly magnified,
to shew the internal net-work. 4. One of the spots of fruit, viewed laterally.
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