CHAR A gracilis.
Slender• Shining Charcu
MONANDRIA Monogynia.
G en. C har. Cal. none. Cor. none. Anthefa tesa
sellatedi Style none. Berry with many seeds.
Spec. Char. Smooth, transparent, shining, without
prickles. Lateral branches repeatedly forked; their
segments awlshaped, acute. Leaves awlshaped*
often branched.
Syn. Chara minor, caulibus et foliis tenuissimis. V a ill.
A c t. Paris. 1719. 18. m. 6. D ill, in R aii Syn. 133.
Equisetum minus, sub aqua repens, ad genicula po-
lyspermon. R aii Syn. ed. 2. 43»
G a t h e r e d Sept. 4 , 1809, in a boggy pool in St. Leo-»
nard’s forest, Sussex, by Mr. W . Borrer. We have the same*
(found by M. Du Cros), from Switzerland, and we are persuaded
the above synonyms' belong to it, though in the FL
Brit, they are referred to C. vulgaris, t. 336, in its unin-
crusted state, we having at that time not investigated the'
plant here delineated. It is confidently presumed, however,
that the plant mentioned under the above synonym in Ray’s
Hist. PI. v. 3. 104, as possibly belonging to it, is rather the
naked state of the vulgaris, and this mistake, confirmed by
Vaillant, led us into error. If a specimen exists in the herbarium
of Sherard, who found this Chara in Jersey, and calls
it «* an elegant little plant, with slender little branches and
leaves,” the synonyms above may be ascertained.
All the parts of our C. gracilis are remarkably slender; the
stem when dry almost colourless, shining like glass. Branches
numerous at each joint, repeatedly subdivided, their segments
whorled, awlshaped, acute, not blunt, terminating in a sharp
appendage. The leaves, if any exist distinct from branches,
which seems doubtful in this and other Chares, are similarly
formed. The anthers and germens are sessile, usually
together, in the forks of the branches. The dense compound
lateral branches give this species the aspect of C. nidifica,
t. 1703, but are differently formed, nor has it any such long
simple leaves.