Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 34 (1896).djvu/379

This page needs to be proofread.

NEW MARINE ALG^. 351 were apparently not more than | in. in height, and were growing on Hypnea Ecklonii. In my specimens the lower part of the plant consists of an intricate apparently decumbent mass of ramuli, of which the articulations are nearly cylindrical ; these are followed by a few elliptical articulations, the upper ones becoming pyriform and then obovate. The plant was sent to me by Dr. Becker under the name of Lomentaria corallina Kiitz. [Tab. Phyc. xii. t. 96, p. 34). It does not appear to have been collected by anyone since it was first found by Suhr, until rediscovered by Dr. Becker. On one of Dr. Becker's specimens I found zonate tetraspores, which indicated that it probably belonged to Erythroclo7iium or Rhabdonia, but could not belong to Chylocladia, Champia^ or Cceloclonium, since these have tripartite tetraspores. The axile siphon and the lax tissue of branching threads in the articulation show that it must be referred to Erythroclonium rather than to the Opiintiopsis section of Rhab- donia. From Areschougia it differs entirely in habit, its more lax structure, and more slender axile siphon. Although the cystocarps have not been described,* Miss Barton tells me that she found one on a specimen in the British Museum Herbarium, and that it presented, so far as she was able to judge with a lens, the characteristic ap- pearance of those of Erythrocloyiium, I have therefore no hesitation in placing the plant in that genus. It is interesting to note that two out of the three species here described belong to Australian genera, and thus increase the number of genera common to Australia and S. Africa. Dr. Becker is to be greatly congratulated on the large number of interesting new species that he has already discovered in Natal. 4. Grateloupia Wattii, n. sp. Amongst a series of specimens sent to me from India for identification by Dr. George Watt, C.I.E., I found a specimen of a Grateloupia which differs from any of the known species, although most nearly allied to G. Cutlerice. I have therefore taken this opportunity of publishing a description of it as follows : — G-. Wattii, n. sp., radice scutata, fronde palmatim divisa, lobis imbricatis lanceolatis oblongis, basi parum attenuatis, apice obtusi- usculis, margine undulato, crenulato-dentato. Cystocarpiis per totam frondem densis. Hab. Verawal, Kathiawar, India, Dr. G. Watt, February, 1894. This species differs from G. Cutleries in the remarkably palmate character of the fronds, the segments of which overlap so much at the base that it is not possible to lay them out in one plane ; in the base of the segments being scarcely attenuated, and in the absence of proliferations from the surface of the frond. The colour of the plant has evidently been destroyed by exposure, as it has only a dull pale brownish colour like that of Punctaria latifolia. It adheres closely to paper. The stipe above the scutate base does not exceed yV ^^' in height, and the very few proliferations present are very small, linear lanceolate, and obtuse.

  • It is not certain, from the description given by Suhr, whether the fruit

figured really consists of cystocarps or of a Dermocarpa or other parasitic alga.