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P l a t e C L V .
POLYSIPHONIA VARIEGATA, Ag.
■Ge n . Ch a e . Frond filamentous, p a rtia lly o r generally a r tic u la te ; jo in ts
lo n g itu d in a lly stria te , composed of n um e ro u s ra d ia tin g cells o r tu b e s,
disposed ro u n d a c en tra l cavity. Fructification two-fold, on different
in d iv id u a ls ; 1, ovate ( c e ram i* « ), fu rn ish ed w ith a te rm in a l
p ore , co n ta in in g a mass of p e a r-sh ap ed s p o re s ; 3, tetraspores im b ed d ed
in swoRen b ran c lile ts. P olys iph o n ia (Orev.),— from m \v s ,m a n g ,
a n d a-afxm, a tube.
P o ly s ip h o n i a variegata; filaments b row n ish -p u rp le, or g reenish, setaceous,
an d r ig id below, g rad u a lly a tte n u a te d u pw a rd s to a capillary fineness,
dichotomous, th e lower axils very p a t e n t ; b ran ch es somewhat zig-zag,
elo n g a ted , m u c h divided, s et w ith la te ra l, c apillary a n d very flaccid,
multifid, p u rp le r am u li; a rtic u la tio n s n e ar th e base sh o rte r th a n th e ir
b re a d th , twice as lo n g as b ro ad in th e p rin c ip a l b ran ch es, a n d g ra d u ally
b e com in g sh o rte r u pwards, m a rk e d w ith th re e , bro ad , parallel,
o b lo n g cells, sepa ra ted b y p e llu c id s p a c e s ; tu b e s six or ra re ly seven,
su rro u n d in g a m in u te c a v ity ; capsules ovate, o n a sh o rt stalk.
P olysiphonia variegata, J. Ag. Alg. Medit. p. 129. Endl. 3rd Suppl. p. 45.
Kiitz. Phyc. Oen. p. 424.
P olysiphonia peucedanoides, Mont. Herb.
H utch in s ia variegata, Afi/./SysA p. 153. Ag. Sp. A lg .-c cA .\\.g .3 \.
Geamita peucedanoides, Bonnem. Mem. Mus. 1824.
H a s . On mud-oovered rocks in bays and estuaries, also on Zostera, Chorda
filnm , floating timber, &c. Annual. Summer and autumn. Very
local. St. German’s River (1846), Mr. E o h h fi. Beggar’s Island,
Trevol, Torpoint, and various other places near Plymouth, Rev. W. S.
Hore and Dr. J . Cocks.
Geo g e . D is t k . Atlantic shores of France and Spain. Mediterranean and
Adriatic Seas; very abundant at Venice. West Indies, Yyar*/. Atlantic
shores of H. America, Prof. Bailey, &c.
D esck. Fronds forming dense tufts, from four to eight or ten inches long, as
thick as hog’s bristle and somewhat rigid at base, gradually attenuated
upwards, and becoming more flaccid u ntil they pass away into a capillary
or byssoid fineness. Filaments very much branched, dichotomous, the
lower axils very patent or divaricating, close together, the upper gradually
more distant and less sp re ading; secondary branches somewhat virgate,
zig-zag, set with more or less divided, and more or less dense
dichotomous ramuli, whose axils are very a c u te ; ramuli very flaccid and
slender. Articulations in the lower p a rt of the filament shorter than broad,
sometimes opake (in old plants); in the branches once and a half to twice,
as long as b ro a d ; gradually shorter in the ram u li; all of them marked w ith
three broad tubes. A cross section of a branch shows six. or rarely seven,
radiant c ells ; th a t of an old stem has a more or less complete row of external
cellules. Capsules broadly ovate, plentiful on the lesser branches and
ramuli, shortly stalked. Tetraspores small, imbedded in slightly swollen
ramuli. Colour of the lower p a rt of the stem often greenish, of the upper,
and especially of th e ramuli, more or less dark-pnrple. Substance rigid
below, flaccid and gelatinous above.
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