/tor
CO NFERVA nigrescens.
Blackish Compound-jointed Conferva.
CRYPTOGAMIA Algae.
Gen. Char. Seeds produced within the substance of
the capillary or jointed frond, or in closed tubercles
united with it.
Spec. Char. Blackish, much and alternately branched.
Branches elongated; the ultimate ones short, crowded,
awlshaped. Joints rather broader than long,
compound.
Syn. Conferva nigrescens. Huds. 6 0 2 . With. v. 4 . 14 1.
B u ll. 3 3 4 .
W e have received this from Mr. Turner of Yarmouth, and
also from the Scottish coast by favour of Mr, Brodie, in
September last. It appears by the authors above quoted to be
common in Devonshire and Cornwall.
The fronds form dark blackish dense tufts, from 4 to 6
inches in length, consisting of long principal hard threads,
very sparingly branched, but bearing innumerable crowded
ultimate subdivisions all along their course, which are simple
or divided, alternate, awlshaped and acute. The whole plant
is jointed throughout, the joints rather contracted, scarcely
so long as they are broad. Every joint is compound, consisting
of a circular series of numerous parallel tubes, and a
transverse section shows this series to be double. In these
compound joints this species agrees with C. hjssoides, described
in our 8th volume, tab. 547. Mr. Stackhouse is said
to have found the fructification in “ small lateral nodules,’/
which we have not seen, but the description accords with
those of C. lyssoides> and further confirms the affinity of the
two species.