U L V A plumosa.
Feathered Laver.
CRYPTOGAMIA Alga;.
Gen. Char. Frond membranous or gelatinous. Seeds
solitary, scattered throughout its substance, under
the cuticle.
Spec.C h a r . Frond gelatinous, green, thread-shaped,
somewhat compressed, branched; branches pinnate,
with numerous, parallel, linear, shining
segments.
SrN. Ulva plumosa. Huds. 571. With. v. 4. 126.
Hull. 313.
H u d s o n discovered this elegant plant on submarine rocks
and stones on the Devonshire coast. Mr. Woodward found
it in little rocky pools, filled daily by the tide, at Cromer;
and Mr. W . Borrer gathered our specimens at Brighthelmstone
in September last.
The whole frond is but two or three inches high. At first
gathering, its hue is a bright uniform green, but the colouring
matter soon subsides, or rather collects towards the
skin, leaving the central part vacant and pellucid. Several
principal branches are sent off by the main stem, and these
are elegantly pinnated, with thick-set linear segments, or
leaflets, in their upper part, the lower being simple and naked,
like the quill of the beautiful feather they thus compose. Nothing
is distinctly known of the fructification.