Part I MARINE ALGAE

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SEAWEED

When descends on the Atlantic

The gigantic

Storm-wind of the equinox,

Landward in his wrath he scourges

The toiling surges,

Laden with seaweed from the rocks;

From Bermuda's reefs; from edges

Of sunken ledges

In some far-off, bright Azore;

From Bahama and the dashing,

Silver-flashing

Surges of San Salvador;

· · · · · ·

Ever drifting, drifting, drifting

On the shifting

Currents of the restless main;

Till in sheltered coves, and reaches

Of sandy beaches,

All have found repose again.

Longfellow.

I
BLUE-GREEN SEAWEEDS
(CYANOPHYCEÆ)
GRASS-GREEN SEAWEEDS
(CHLOROPHYCEÆ)

TABLE SHOWING THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE BLUE-GREEN SEAWEEDS DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Class ALGÆ
    • Subclass CyanophyceÆ (Blue-Green Seaweeds)
      • Order NOSTOCACEÆ
        • Genus Spirulina
        • Genus Oscillaria
        • Genus Calothrix
        • Genus Lyngbya
          • L. majuscula
          • L. ferruginea

BLUE-GREEN SEAWEEDS

The minute algÆ, which form patches of purple color on rocks, slimy layers or spots on wharves, bluish-green slime on mud, emerald-green films on decaying algÆ, blue-green slime on brackish ditches, and so on, are various species of the subclass CyanophyceÆ. The prevailing color of these plants is blue-green, but some are purple, brown, or pink. Some of them are gelatinous in texture and shapeless, others have more definite forms; but all are too small to classify without the aid of a powerful glass, and are not of special interest except to the botanist.

Genera Oscillaria and Spirulina

The genus Oscillaria is so named from an oscillating movement which these filamentous plants show when viewed under the microscope. They are very delicate blue-green threads occurring singly, or in loose or felt-like floating masses, or like slime or scum, on mud or woodwork. In Spirulina the filaments are spirally twisted like a corkscrew and also have a vibrating movement. Spirulina is often found growing with Oscillaria, and forms purple patches on wharves.

Genus Calothrix ("Beautiful hair")

Filaments one tenth of an inch long, terminating in transparent hair-like points, occasionally branching. The plant grows in fine tufts or like a fringe on algÆ or in patches on rocks. Sometimes it forms a spongy layer, again a velvety stratum. The color varies in different species; it may be bright green, brownish-green, [pg050] or dark bluish-purple. The genus is very common, and the plants are often found on the bottoms of boats.

Genus Lyngbya (Named for Hans Christian Lyngbye, a Danish botanist)

L. majuscula, mermaid's-hair. The filaments are curled or crisped, long, thick, and tenacious, matted together at the base, and blackish-green. The species grows in tufts on eel-grass and algÆ, and is often found floating free. It is common in summer everywhere south of Cape Cod and on the Pacific coast.

L. ferruginea or Æstuarii. In this species the filaments are thin, soft, and without stability (flaccid), so that they lie flat like a thin stratum. They are verdigris-green in color, and are found in brackish pools and ditches and on muddy shores near the sea. [pg051]

TABLE SHOWING THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE GRASS-GREEN SEAWEEDS DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Class ALGÆ
    • Subclass ChlorophyceÆ (Grass-Green Seaweeds)
        • Order CONFERVACEÆ
          • Genus Ulothrix
          • Genus ChÆtomorpha
            • C. melagonium
            • C. Ærea
            • C. linum
          • Genus Cladophora
            • C. arcta
            • C. rupestris
            • C. gracilis
        • Order ULVACEÆ
          • Genus Ulva
            • U. lactuca
            • U. latissima
          • Genus Enteromorpha
            • E. clathrata
            • E. compressa
            • E. intestinalis
            • E. lanceolata
          • Genus Monostroma
      • Group SiphoneÆ
        • Order VALONIACEÆ
          • Genus ChamÆdoris
            • C. annulata
          • Genus Anadyomene
            • A. flabellata
        • Order DASYCLADACEÆ
          • Genus Acetabularia
            • A. crenulata
          • Genus Dasycladus
            • D. occidentalis
          • Genus Cymopolia
            • C. barbata
        • Order UDOTEACEÆ
          • Genus Penicillus
            • P. dumentosus
            • P. capitatus
            • P. Phoenix
          • Genus Udotea
            • U. flabellata
            • U. conglutinata
          • Genus Halimeda
            • H. tuna
            • H. tridens
            • H. opuntia
        • Order CODIACEÆ
          • Genus Bryopsis
            • B. plumosa
          • Genus Codium
            • C. tomentosum
        • Order CAULERPACEÆ
          • Genus Caulerpa
            • C. prolifera
            • C. Mexicana
            • C. plumosa
            • C. Wurdemanii

GRASS-GREEN SEAWEEDS

"There can hardly be a more fascinating group of plants than this, whether to the strictly scientific botanist or to the more catholic lover of nature. The green algÆ are among the most widely diffused of plant forms. They grow practically in every place where enough moisture, together with light and air, is to be had. Between tide-marks on almost every coast, floating on the surface of the deep sea, covering damp earth, walls, palings, and tree-trunks, sticking to the surface of leaves in the moist atmosphere of tropical forests and jungles, and inhabiting almost every river, brook, pond, ditch, or casual pool of rain-water in all quarters of the globe, are members of this ubiquitous group to be found."[3]

[3] Kerner.

The grass-green seaweeds are more simple in structure, and therefore are lower in order, than the red or brown algÆ. They are among the lowest of all plants, many of them being minute single cells. They abound in fresh as well as in salt water, and in this respect differ from the other groups, the red and the brown algÆ being almost exclusively marine plants.

As one approaches the shore, the attention is often attracted by the green mantle which covers everything overflowed by the tides. This consists largely of the confervoid algÆ, which are very abundant and are found almost everywhere. They are dense tufts of fine thread-like plants, often matted at the base; sometimes they are sponge-like, floating masses.

The UlvaceÆ, the plants next higher in order, are the first which assume ribbon-and leaf-like expansions, and usually first engage the attention of the collector. [pg053]

In the green algÆ are found the extreme forms of one-celled plants. In Pleurococcus the cell is microscopic in size. In the SiphoneÆ the plant still consists of a single cell, but it attains large dimensions and develops into forms resembling, in outward appearance, leaf, stem, and root (see Caulerpa).

Other plants consist of single rows of cells, called filaments (ConfervaceÆ), or of cells arranged in layers or flat surfaces, called membranes (UlvaceÆ).

ORDER CONFERVACEÆ

The silkweeds. This order is characterized by cylindrical cells strung end to end, forming threads or filaments, branched and unbranched. The plants inhabit both fresh and salt water, and are very abundant and widely distributed. They grow in dense tufts, often matted at the base.

Genus Ulothrix

A yellow-green, unbranched, decumbent, soft, hair-like fleece on the surface of rocks, extending indefinitely. This genus differs from ChÆtomorpha in the character of its filaments, which are soft and gelatinous in Ulothrix, but bristle-like and wiry in ChÆtomorpha.

Genus ChÆtomorpha

The frond is filiform; the filaments are coarse, rigid, and unbranched. In some species the filaments grow straight and in tufts from a definite base; in others they are twisted together and are prostrate. Often they are found floating in masses. In C. tortuosa the filaments are as fine as human hair, but rigid, and so closely interwoven as to resemble a layer of wool on the rocks. The cell-divisions give a striped appearance to the filaments when dry.

C. melagonium. This species is dark green, with filaments erect, coarse as a double bristle, and wiry; five to twelve inches long. It is found in rock pools from Boston northward. It does not adhere to paper in drying, and loses its color if immersed in fresh water. (Plate III.)

C. Ærea. Yellowish-green, with filaments erect and less rigid than [pg054] in C. melagonium, which it otherwise resembles; tufts three to twelve inches long; cell-divisions very marked. This species is found in rock pools from Cape Cod to New York Bay.

C. linum. Bright green; filaments coarse, rigid, twisted together, and prostrate. It is found floating in masses and forming strata on rocks and gravel from New York northward. It is thought by some that this, as well as C. picquotiana, which it closely resembles, is not a true species, but consists of the mature plants of the species C. melagonium and C. Ærea, which have become detached from their holdfasts and have continued to grow. (Plate III.)

Genus Cladophora ("Branch-bearing")

Frond filiform, branched. There are many species of Cladophora, which differ from one another in their branching, color, and size. They abound on rocks at low-water mark, in tide-pools, in muddy ditches, and on wharves. They are especially characterized by being so profusely branched as to form tufts or spherical masses, by which the collector can easily distinguish the genus.

C. arcta. Bright, glossy green; filaments fine, erect, much branched, two to eight inches long; tufts dense, more or less entangled, and in bunches, giving a starry effect. The species is common on rocks near low-water mark from New York northward. The plants vary slightly in appearance with the season. (Plate III.)

C. rupestris. Dark green; filaments straight, rigid, tufted; branches crowded; many branchlets flattened against the filaments, so that the alga somewhat resembles grass; five to ten inches long. The cell-divisions show plainly. Plants of this species do not adhere to paper in drying. They are found on rocks at low-water mark, and are common on the northern New England coast. (Plate III.)

C. gracilis. Bright yellow-green; filaments very fine, loosely tufted, three to twelve inches long, soft, silky, much branched; branches rather short, and branchlets more or less curved and arranged in a comb-like manner. It grows on wharves, in muddy pools, and on eel-grass. (Plate IV.)

PLATE III.
ChÆtomorpha melagonium. ChÆtomorpha linum.
Cladophora arcta. Cladophora rupestris.
PLATE IV.
Cladophora gracilis. Ulva lanceolata.
Ulva lactuca, var. rigida. Enteromorpha clathrata.

ORDER ULVACEÆ

The plants of this order are, with few exceptions, formed of celled surfaces and show the earliest type of an expanded leaf. The cells form thin membranes, which sometimes are broad surfaces of no definite shape, sometimes are narrow and ribbon-like, or they may be simple or branched tubes. When the membrane [pg055] consists of a single layer of cells it is Monostroma ("one layer"); when it consists of a double layer it is Ulva; when the layers separate, the thallus becomes hollow, and it is then Enteromorpha. These plants are mostly a brilliant grass-green in color, are silky in texture, and are attached by a small disk to rocks and stones. They abound everywhere, and are commonly known as green laver.

Genus Ulva

Frond a thin, silky, flat membrane, sometimes leaf-like, again an extended surface of no definite shape. These are the largest green algÆ. They are common everywhere.

U. lactuca, the sea-lettuce. Frond a flat membrane of various shapes, sometimes orbicular, again deeply incised, often ribbon-like; margin always much waved or ruffled. In the variety rigida the frond is oval in outline, not very large, and quite firm or rigid. The species is found on rocks exposed to the action of the waves. (Plate IV.)

U. latissima. Frond a flat, expanded membrane of indefinite shape, but general outline oval, never ribbon-like; attains a size of twelve to twenty-four inches; often deeply lobed, very waved, often perforated with holes; membrane brilliant green, thin, smooth, glossy. It grows apart or in tufts, and is found everywhere, in all stages of growth. It is the largest species of Ulva, and is very common on muddy shores.

Genus Enteromorpha

Fronds tubular, simple or branched, sometimes inflated. The tubes vary in size in different species and also in the same species, some being fine like a hair, others large, and flat or inflated. The genus is widely distributed and very abundant. Species of Enteromorpha grow on the bottoms of ships, and in nautical language are called grass.

E. clathrata. Fronds thread-like, tubular, branched, and branches beset with numerous fine branchlets; densely tufted, soft. Common everywhere. (Plate IV.)

E. compressa. Fronds long, slender, branched, tufted; branches simple, compressed, extending from main central branch, obtuse at ends, but attenuated at base. The species is very abundant everywhere, and is a useful plant for the aquarium. (Plate V.)

E. intestinalis. Single, long, inflated tubes or sacs, obtuse at the apex, very attenuated at the base; fronds often crimped and twisted, resembling an intestine, whence the name. (Plate V.) [pg056]

E. lanceolata. Formerly called Ulva Linza. Frond narrow, ribbon-like, six to twelve inches long, one inch to two inches wide; blunt or pointed at apex, tapering at base; attached by a disk; edges much ruffled; bright green, soft, thin.

Genus Monostroma

This genus resembles Ulva, but is more delicate since it has but one layer of cells, as its name implies. The frond is usually sac-like at first, then breaks apart, leaving a thin, semi-transparent membrane of no definite shape.

GROUP SIPHONEÆ

The distinct and peculiar character of this group is that in each individual the whole plant consists of but one cell. There are many genera, some of which are plants of elaborate form and considerable size, but always the one cell expands and branches without dividing the elongated cavity with septa, or plates of division. In Caulerpa the stability of the plant is secured by numerous fibrils which emanate from the interior of the cell, forming a spongy network of interlacing filaments. In other orders the branches gain support from incrustation, from interlacing, and from cohering on the edges.

ORDER VALONIACEÆ

The algÆ of this order are found only in tropical or subtropical waters. Their holdfasts resemble fibrous roots and penetrate the sand or coral on which they grow.

Genus ChamÆdoris

C. annulata. When young this alga consists of an annulated tube formed of a single cell. The annular constrictions occur at short intervals, giving it the appearance of being jointed. It grows to the height of two to three inches, when it ceases to lengthen and produces a dense mass of filaments, forming a head or spherical tuft one inch or more in diameter. It is bright grass-green in color, rather rigid and tough, and when mature is thinly coated with carbonate of lime. The holdfast is a tuft of fibers. The species is found at Key West and is a native of the West Indies.

PLATE V.
Enteromorpha compressa. Enteromorpha intestinalis.
Enteromorpha intestinalis. Anadyomene flabellata.
PLATE VI.
Acetabularia crenulata. Dasycladus occidentalis.
Penicillus dumentosus. Udotea conglutinata.

Genus Anadyomene

A. flabellata. Frond composed entirely of branching filaments, which unite and form an undulating, rigid membranaceous surface, which seems like a network of veins. The species grows in bunches on short stems in the fissures of tidal rocks, and at first view resembles young Ulva. It is a very curious and beautiful alga, and should be examined with a glass. It is one inch to four inches in diameter when full-grown. (Plate V.)

ORDER DASYCLADACEÆ

This order also inhabits only tropical or subtropical seas. It is placed in this group, although only the main axis is unicellular. The one-celled axis is surmounted or encircled by whorls of minute filaments or branchlets (ramuli), which protrude through small holes and are either persistent or deciduous. In the latter case the fallen filaments leave disk-like scars on the stem.

Genus Acetabularia

A. crenulata. This little alga resembles a mushroom of the Agaricus variety or gilled species, and so is easily identified. It is thinly incrusted with lime and is found on rocks and coral, within tide-marks, on the Florida reefs. When full-grown the stipe is two to three inches long and the cap one half of an inch in diameter. (Plate VI.)

Genus Dasycladus

Fronds destitute of calcareous matter, soft, cylindrical or club-shaped; single unicellular axis, beset with fine filaments or ramuli.

D. occidentalis. Frond club-shaped, one to two inches high, one half of an inch or less in diameter; covered with whorls of fine filaments, making the fronds almost spongy; substance soft but tough; dark green. These plants have been compared to foxes' tails. They grow in bunches on rocks between tide-marks. (Plate VI.)

Genus Cymopolia

C. barbata. Frond branched, dividing regularly in pairs; thickly incrusted with lime. Annular constrictions at short intervals give the branches the appearance of strings of beads. Each section is covered with pores or scars of fallen ramuli. The branches terminate in tufts of fine filaments. [pg058]

ORDER UDOTEACEÆ

Genus Penicillus

The merman's shaving-brush, characteristic of coral reefs.

P. dumentosus. Holdfast much branched, like a fibrous root, and penetrating deep into the coral or sand; stem short, thick, more or less flattened, sometimes hollow, covered with velvety scurf; top covered with loosely spreading tuft of soft filaments three to six inches long, which branch repeatedly in pairs (dichotomous); color deep green. When old, these plants are incrusted with a thin, porous layer of carbonate of lime. (Plate VI.)

P. capitatus. Holdfast a dense mass of fibers two or more inches long; stipe one to five inches long, one fourth to one third of an inch in diameter, usually cylindrical, sometimes wider at top than at base, sometimes flattened; thickly incrusted with lime, which is smooth and often polished; top a dense, spherical mass of filaments one to two inches in diameter; filaments branching dichotomously, and rigid from incrustation of lime.

P. Phoenix. Stipe cylindrical, one to three inches long, one fourth of an inch in diameter, thickly incrusted with lime, smooth; capitulum or head ovoid, and composed of filaments which are incrusted with lime and coherent, forming many distinct, flat, wedge-shaped, level-topped, spreading laminÆ. This species is found at Key West.

Genus Udotea

U. flabellata. Short, flattened stem, expanding into a broad, fan-shaped, smooth frond, concentrically zoned; margin wavy; thickly incrusted with lime. Abundant at Key West.

U. conglutinata. Deeply descending root; stem expanding into fan-shaped frond; entire, lobed, or irregularly torn; slightly incrusted with lime. The frond is composed of longitudinally parallel, adherent filaments, which are visible, giving a striated, rough surface. (Plate VI.)

Genus Halimeda

This genus resembles the corallines externally, and is abundant on coral reefs. It appears as if formed of separate parts, resembling a series of heart-or kidney-shaped segments strung together. The plants are more or less incrusted with lime. The branching holdfast grasps particles of sand, and with them forms a solid ball.

H. tuna. Articulations roundish or half kidney-shaped, one half to three quarters of an inch broad; frond flat, smooth, and thinner than most species; bright green; somewhat flexible. (Plate VII.)

PLATE VII.
Halimeda tuna. Halimeda tridens.
Bryopsis plumosa. Codium tomentosum.
PLATE VIII.
Caulerpa Mexicana. Caulerpa Wurdemanii.
Caulerpa plumaris. Caulerpa paspaloides.

H. tridens. Fronds solitary, erect; base composed of confluent articulations; above divided into numerous branches of articulations, which are all flat, and in one plane giving a fan-shaped outline; middle joints wedge-shaped; upper ones divided into three lobes, frequently bearing articulations at the summit of each lobe; thinly incrusted with lime; color bright green. (Plate VII.)

H. opuntia. Articulations kidney-shaped, flat, rather thin; margins scalloped; irregularly branched and spreading; dense tufts.

ORDER CODIACEÆ

Genus Bryopsis
("Moss-like")

There are said to be about twenty species of this genus. They are distinguished by the manner of branching, but are not very definitely marked. All are erect, one-celled, branching stalks, and are feather-like in appearance.

B. plumosa. Fronds branched twice or more; branchlets or pinnules tapering as they rise on the stalk, giving a triangular outline; stalk naked below; plants a vivid dark green in color, two to six inches long, growing in tufts on wharves and stones at low-water mark and in tide-pools. It is common along the whole Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It is well to use salt water for mounting this alga, since the green coloring-matter or granular endochrome with which it is filled easily escapes. (Plate VII.)

Genus Codium

C. tomentosum. This is called the commonest seaweed in the world. It is abundant in every latitude, yet it does not appear on the eastern coast of North America. It is found on the gulf coast of Florida and is plentiful on the Pacific coast. The fronds are often a foot long, composed of closely packed, club-shaped branches dividing in a forking manner, and densely covered with fine filaments which give them a soft, sponge-like texture. (Plate VII.)

ORDER CAULERPACEÆ

Genus Caulerpa (From two Greek words meaning "stem" and "creep")

Caulerpa is the only genus of its order, but it contains about a hundred species, many of which resemble mosses, ferns, or cacti. Each plant is composed of a single cell, however much it may be [pg060] ramified. The frond consists of a prostrate stem, from the lower side of which root-like fibers or holdfasts descend into the hard sand or coral, and from the upper side leaf-and branch-like secondary fronds arise. These plants grow luxuriantly in tropical waters, extending over large surfaces, and are the chief food of turtles. (Plate VIII.)

C. prolifera. Frond or lamina flat and leaf-like, two to four inches long, one half to three quarters of an inch wide, either simple or once forked; margin entire. Similar laminÆ spring from the surface or from the edge or base of the different leaf-like portions. LaminÆ rise from the upper side of the creeping, rooting stem. Its substance is somewhat horny and translucent.

C. Mexicana. Prostrate, creeping stem, with rootlets or holdfasts below, and leaf-like fronds above; fronds simple or with one or two branches deeply cut in narrow lobes nearly to the center. The species abounds at Key West. (Plate VIII.)

II
OLIVE-GREEN AND BROWN SEAWEEDS
(PHÆOPHYCEÆ)

TABLE SHOWING THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE OLIVE-GREEN AND BROWN SEAWEEDS DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Class ALGÆ
    • Subclass PhÆophyceÆ (Olive-Green and Brown Seaweeds)
      • Order ECTOCARPACEÆ
        • Genus Ectocarpus
          • E. littoralis
          • E. siliculosus
          • E. viridis
          • E. tomentosus
      • Order SPHACELARIACEÆ
        • Genus Sphacelaria
          • S. cirrhosa
          • S. radicans
        • Genus Cladostephus
          • C. verticillatus
      • Order RALFSIACEÆ
        • Genus Ralfsia
      • Order ENCŒLIACEÆ
        • Genus Punctaria
          • P. latifolia
          • P. tenuissima
          • P. plantaginea
        • Genus Asperococcus
          • A. echinatus
        • Genus Phyllitis
          • P. fascia
      • Order DESMARESTIACEÆ
        • Genus Desmarestia
          • D. viridis
          • D. aculeata
          • D. ligulata
        • Genus Arthrocladia
          • A. villosa
      • Order DICTYOSIPHONACEÆ
        • Genus Dictyosiphon
          • D. foeniculaceus
      • Order ELACHISTACEÆ
        • Genus Elachista
      • Order CHORDARIACEÆ
        • Genus Chordaria
          • C. flagelliformis
        • Genus Mesogloea
          • M. virescens
          • M. divaricata
        • Genus Leathesia
        • Genus Myrionema
      • Order LAMINARIACEÆ
        • Genus Chorda
          • C. filum
        • Genus Alaria
          • A. esculenta
        • Genus Agarum
          • A. Turneri
        • Genus Laminaria
          • L. longicruris
          • L. saccharina
          • L. digitata
        • Genus Macrocystis
        • Genus Nereocystis
        • Genus Lessonia
        • Genus Thalassiophyllum
      • Order DICTYOTACEÆ
        • Genus Dictyota
          • D. fasciola
          • D. dichotoma
        • Genus Zonaria
          • Z. lobata
        • Genus Taonia
          • T. atomaria
        • Genus Padina
          • P. pavonia
        • Genus Haliseris
          • H. polypodioides
      • Order CUTLERIACEÆ
        • Genus Cutleria
          • C. multifida
      • Order FUCACEÆ
        • Genus Himanthalia
          • H. lorea
        • Genus Fucus
          • F. vesiculosus
          • F. serratus
          • F. furcatus
          • F. ceranoides
        • Genus Ascophyllum
          • A. nodosum
        • Genus Phyllospora
          • P. Menziesii
        • Genus Cystoseira
          • C. expansa
        • Genus Halidrys
          • H. osmunda
        • Genus Sargassum
          • S. vulgare
          • S. Montagnei
          • S. bacciferum

OLIVE-GREEN AND BROWN SEAWEEDS

This subclass contains some of the most remarkable of the seaweeds. It is especially notable for the diversity of its plant forms, which range from filaments to plants which appear to have stems and leaves (Sargassum). The species vary in size from very small fronds to those of immense size (the LaminariaceÆ). It includes Fucus (the rockweeds), a very conspicuous genus, which furnishes fully three fourths of the vegetable covering of the tidal rocks in the localities in which it grows.

ORDER ECTOCARPACEÆ

This order comprises many species of branched, filamentous plants, some of which are of hair-like fineness and form beautiful feathery tufts of brownish or olive-green color. They resemble, except in their tawny color, the green alga Cladophora.

The name is derived from Greek words meaning "outside" and "fruit," the spores of the plants being borne on the branches.

The species are determined by the arrangement of the spores, according as they are in the pod-like branches, in groups, or in cases on stalks. Since these differences are not perceptible to the naked eye, it is impracticable to describe many species, or for the amateur collector to try to separate them.

Genus Ectocarpus

E. littoralis. Filaments fine, in dense tufts, interwoven, six to twelve inches long; pod linear in the substance of the branches; color olive-green. This is the most common species of Ectocarpus, and grows abundantly everywhere, appearing like large, fine, dull-green plumes. (Plate IX.) [pg065]

E. siliculosus. Tufts loosely entangled at the base, free and feathery above, of indefinite length; spores in pod-like forms at the ends of the branches. Common on the larger algÆ and on wharves.

E. viridis. Tufts a little more loose and expanding than in E. siliculosus; spores in pods at the base of the branches. (Plate IX.)

E. tomentosus. Fine filaments, densely interwoven into rope-like, spongy masses, two to four inches long; yellowish-brown; pods on stalks. Found in summer growing on Fucus.

ORDER SPHACELARIACEÆ

Genus Sphacelaria

S. cirrhosa. Olive-brown; branched, feathery filaments, one half of an inch to two inches long. Each branch ends with an oblong, swollen cell containing a dark granular mass which gives it a withered appearance. These cells can be seen with a strong pocket-lens. It forms dense, globe-like tufts on Fucus.

S. radicans. Filaments one half of an inch to one inch high; branches few and hairy. It forms a dense, grass-like covering, of indefinite extent, on the under side of muddy rocks. Found on the New England coast.

Genus Cladostephus

C. verticillatus. Fronds bristle-like, dividing regularly; covered with whorls of branchlets set close to the stems, each whorl overlapping the previous one, giving the plant a spongy appearance. (Plate IX.)

ORDER RALFSIACEÆ

Genus Ralfsia

The species of this genus are brown, leathery, crustaceous expansions of indefinite form, one inch to six inches in diameter, resembling lichens. They appear on rocks in shallow, exposed pools.

ORDER ENCŒLIACEÆ

Genus Punctaria

Dotted-weeds. Fronds pale olive-green, membranaceous, leaf-like, with short stem; covered with spores which appear like dots.

P. latifolia. Frond pale green, four to twelve inches long, one inch to five inches wide, leaf-like, and tapering suddenly to a short stalk; much [pg066] waved on margin; substance soft and thin; dotted with spores. In the young plants fine hairs emerge from the dots, but disappear later, and the fronds become darker and more rigid. Found in summer on rocks and on other algÆ on the Long Island and New England coasts.

P. tenuissima. Fronds smaller and more slender than in P. latifolia; thin and delicate. Found on eel-grass and Chorda filum.

P. plantaginea. Fronds dark brown, leathery, leaf-like, blunt or wedge-shaped on top; dense clusters of hairs on the dots; six to twelve inches long, one inch to one and a half inches wide.

Genus Asperococcus

This genus differs from Punctaria in having a tubular instead of a flat frond. (Plate IX.)

A. echinatus. Resembles Enteromorpha in being tubular; compressed or inflated; obtuse at the apex; attenuated at the base. It differs from Enteromorpha in being olive in color, and in being covered with small oblong dots of darker shade. When the plant is young the dots are hairy. It grows in clusters, two to eighteen inches long, one half of an inch to one inch wide. Common along the New England coast.

Genus Phyllitis

P. fascia. Fronds light olive-green, leaf-like, three to six inches long, one fourth to one half of an inch wide; margin entire, slightly waved; contracted at base to short stalk; attached by disk. This species grows in bunches on rocks and stones at low-water mark, and is very common everywhere. (Plate X.)

ORDER DESMARESTIACEÆ (Named for M. Desmarest, a French naturalist)

Genus Desmarestia

D. viridis. Filaments cylindrical, about as thick as a bristle; branches opposite, in pairs, at intervals on the main stem. The branches branch again and continue to be disposed in the same manner. All are long and ultimately become very fine. The color is olive-green, becoming verdigris-green when exposed to the air for a short time or placed in fresh water. The species grows in deep tide-pools and below low-water mark, forming fine, feathery plumes, often a yard long, which give submerged rocks the appearance of a luxuriant garden. (Plate X.)

PLATE IX.
Ectocarpus littoralis. Ectocarpus viridis.
Cladostephus verticillatus. Asperococcus bullosus.
PLATE X.
Phyllitis fascia. Desmarestia viridis.
Desmarestia aculeata. Desmarestia ligulata.

D. aculeata ("spiny"). Fronds cylindrical at base, flattened above; branches long and straight, arranged alternately, when young beset with pencils of fine hairs, often one half of an inch long, which, later, fall off, leaving alternate spines along the edges of the flattened branches. It [pg067] grows from one foot to six feet in length, below low-water mark, and is found washed ashore. It is an attractive plant in the spring, but is brown and coarse when old. Common everywhere. (Plate X.)

D. ligulata. Fronds two to six feet long, pinnate, having a flat main stem one half of an inch or more wide, with opposite flat branches; leaflets arranged along the edges of the branches, pointed at each end, and bordered with forward-pointing spines. It is found washed ashore, in abundance, in California, but is not found on the Atlantic coast. (Plate X.)

Genus Arthrocladia

A. villosa. Olive-brown filaments, resembling fine, knotted threads, each knob having a whorl of delicate filaments. It grows from six inches to three feet long, in deep water. It is rare, but is occasionally found on the New England coast.

ORDER DICTYOSIPHONACEÆ

Genus Dictyosiphon

D. foeniculaceus. Fronds filiform, bristle-like, branching into delicate, hair-like branches; yellowish-brown. It resembles Chordaria flagelliformis, but is much finer. (Plate XI.)

ORDER ELACHISTACEÆ

Genus Elachista

The plants of this genus are small, olive-colored, unbranched, hair-like filaments, growing in dense, radiating tufts, one half of an inch in height, on Fucus. They are interesting to the microscopist, but not to the collector.

ORDER CHORDARIACEÆ ("Cord-like")

Genus Chordaria

C. flagelliformis ("whip-like"). Firm, leathery, somewhat elastic, slimy strings, six to twenty-four inches long, and twice as thick as a bristle; branches mostly undivided, short or long, irregularly placed on the main axis, and curving inward at the top of the frond; main axis not extending as far as the branches; blackish in color; attached by a disk to stones and shells; solitary or in bunches. It is common along the New England coast. (Plate XI.) [pg068]

Genus Mesogloea

M. virescens. Soft, slimy filaments, with branches and branchlets; olive-green. (Plate XI.)

M. divaricata. Fronds two to twenty-four inches high; branching irregularly, and generally without definite main axis; branches flexuous, solid at first, later hollow; branchlets short and wide-spreading. Common from Cape Cod southward; abundant in Long Island Sound. (Plate XI.)

Genus Leathesia

This singular alga resembles a tuber and cannot be mistaken for any other plant. Its fronds are gelatinous, fleshy balls, one half of an inch to two inches in diameter, at first solid, afterward lobed and hollow. It grows singly or in bunches on algÆ and on sand-covered rocks, and is found in summer on every coast. The common species is known as L. difformis or L. tuberiformis.

Genus Myrionema

Minute algÆ which grow on other plants and which appear like dark spots, or, at first, like stains, on Ulva, Enteromorpha, and small red algÆ. These spots, which to the naked eye appear like decay, show, under the microscope, a jelly-like substance full of beaded filaments.

ORDER LAMINARIACEÆ

The plants of this order have large and coarse fronds (some attaining an immense size), with stems, branching root-like holdfasts, and expanded leaf-like laminÆ. They are leather-like, not articulated, olive-green or brown in color, and sometimes yellow and semi-transparent. They grow in deep water and are found washed ashore. Sometimes small plants are found in deep tide-pools at low-water mark. Some species are perennial. In these instances the stems only survive, and the laminÆ are reproduced annually. The new growth takes place at the apex of the stem. The old lamina is pushed off, but is held on the summit of the new growth until the latter has matured.

PLATE XI.
Dictyosiphon foeniculaceus. Chordaria flagelliformis.
Mesogloea virescens. Mesogloea divaricata.
PLATE XII.
Chorda filum. Agarum Turneri.
Alaria esculenta. Laminaria saccharina.

In the genus Chorda the fronds are cylindrical; in Agarum [pg069] the laminÆ are perforated; in Alaria there are wing-like leaflets below the laminÆ.

The LaminariaceÆ and FucaceÆ are the seaweeds used in making kelp. For this the algÆ are burned, and the ash is then separated into its different mineral constituents and used for various manufacturing purposes.

Genus Chorda

C. filum. Entire frond cylindrical, divided internally by transverse septa; one fourth to one half of an inch in diameter, tapering at each end; ordinarily one to twelve feet long, but sometimes attaining a length of forty feet. When young the frond is covered with fine, transparent hairs; later it is brown and leather-like. The growth takes place at the base, just above the disk-like holdfast, and at the apex it is constantly dying off. The species is common on Northern shores, at and below low-water mark. Often it is in masses which seem like meadows of waving grass under water. Various small algÆ and many zoÖphytes are to be found on the fronds. (Plate XII.)

Genus Alaria

This genus is readily distinguishable by the fact that it has leaflets below the lamina. It is found north of Cape Cod.

A. esculenta. Stem compressed, four to twelve inches long, one fourth to one half of an inch wide, and running like a midrib through the lamina; lamina one to ten feet long, two to ten inches wide, frequently torn and ragged; margin wavy; leaflets three to eight inches long and without midrib, growing on both sides of the stem, below the lamina. The spores are produced in the leaflets in the autumn. This is an edible alga and is used as food in Scotland and Ireland, where it is called henware, badderlocks, murlins, and so on. (Plate XII.)

Genus Agarum

The sea-colanders.

A. Turneri. Stem two to twelve inches long, round below, flattened above, and extending like a midrib through the lamina; lamina one foot to four feet long, with holes over the whole surface; margin wavy. The perforations in the lamina are produced by conical hollow papillÆ which cover the young frond and which at length burst, leaving a hole which enlarges as the plant expands. This species is found from Cape Cod to Greenland.

There are other species, which differ from this one in the size of the perforations, the shape of the lamina, and the prominence of the midrib. Harvey describes the plant as an arctic genus growing ten to twelve feet long. (Plate XII.) [pg070]

Genus Laminaria

The plants of this genus are all large, varying from one foot to twelve feet or more in length. They are of wide geographical range, and are more numerous in species than any others of the order. They are commonly known as oarweeds, tangle, devil's-aprons, sole-leather, kelp, sea-furbelows, and so on.

L. longicruris ("long-stalked"). Stem six to twelve feet long, one to two inches thick, slender and solid at base, hollow and inflated at the middle, contracted at the top; attached by a strong, branching, root-like holdfast; color light brown. The large, single, leaf-like lamina, usually shorter than the stem, is five to twenty feet long, two to three feet broad, with much waved and folded margin, outlined with two rows of depressed spots. The spores form a band in the center of the blade. Found from Cape Cod northward and on the Pacific coast.

L. saccharina, the sea-tangle. This species differs from L. longicruris in having a short, solid stem and narrow, ribbon-like lamina. Stem three inches to four feet long; lamina three to thirty feet long, six to eighteen inches wide, with central band of depressed spots; margin much waved; color olive-green, semi-transparent. It is named from the saccharine matter, called mannite, which it contains. Found on northern shores of the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. (Plate XII.)

L. digitata ("fingered"). Stem one to five feet long, thick, round, and solid; lamina oval at base, leathery, smooth, brown, deeply cleft into segments of unequal breadth. It is named from the hand-like form of the lamina. This species is found in Long Island Sound, but is not common south of Cape Cod. The stem is used by fishermen for knife-handles. Pieces of it, placed on the blades while green, contract in drying and become solid. (Plate XIII.)

For the genera Macrocystis, Nereocystis, Lessonia, and Thalassiophyllum, see the Introduction, pages 35, 36.

ORDER DICTYOTACEÆ

Genus Dictyota

D. fasciola. Fronds olive-brown, expanded, membranaceous, erect, flat; many times forked narrow branches; grows in tufts six to ten inches long, matted at the base.

D. dichotoma. Same as D. fasciola, except that the divisions of the forked frond are one eighth to one half of an inch wide. Found in tide-pools in Southern waters. (Plate XIII.)

PLATE XIII.
Laminaria digitata. Dictyota dichotoma.
Taonia atomaria. Padina pavonia.
PLATE XIV.
Haliseris polypodioides. Cutleria multifida.
Fucus vesiculosus.

Genus Zonaria

Z. lobata. Thallus flat, fan-shaped, but not so rounded as in Padina pavonia, twelve or more inches in height, cleft irregularly into many [pg071] narrow lobes, the clefts extending nearly or quite to the base; olive-green, with concentric zones of darker color; edges thin and bordered with a dark line. Found in southern California and in tropical and subtropical seas.

Genus Taonia

T. atomaria. Spreading, fan-shaped frond; clefts irregular and not extending to the basal stem; spores arranged in dark wavy lines and spots on the frond, giving it a mottled appearance and beautiful gradation of color. Found in tropical seas. (Plate XIII.)

Genus Padina

P. pavonia, the peacock's-tail. Frond broadly fan-shaped; substance between membranaceous and leathery; powdery on the outer surface; deeply and variously cleft or entire; several laminÆ emanating from a stalk-like base; each lamina fan-shaped; concentric lines numerous; variegated in zones. This beautiful alga is always regarded as a prize. It is found on stones at low-water mark, and is not uncommon south of Charleston, South Carolina, but is more luxuriant in tropical seas. (Plate XIII.)

Genus Haliseris

The sea-endive.

H. polypodioides. Fronds flat, forked, notched on lower part; divisions about one quarter of an inch wide; distinct midrib; olive-green; grows in tufts. It is found in North and South Carolina, and is abundant on the Florida Keys. (Plate XIV.)

ORDER CUTLERIACEÆ

Genus Cutleria

C. multifida. Frond erect, flat; branches in a forking manner; ultimate branches fine and short, and with branchlets on the tips. This species resembles Taonia. It is found in Southern waters. (Plate XIV.)

ORDER FUCACEÆ

Genus Himanthalia

H. lorea, the sea-thong. A cup-shaped base, from the center of which arises a flat, strap-like frond one fourth to one half of an inch wide and two to twenty feet long, branching dichotomously (or by forking), and dotted with pits, or conceptacles, in which the spores are formed. Found in the extreme North. [pg072]

Genus Fucus

The rockweeds. The plants of this genus grow in thick bunches, and are found in great abundance between tide-marks. The plants are attached by sucker-like disks to the rocks, from which they hang like fringe when the tide recedes; when it rises they float and sway in the water in beautiful bouquet-like forms. In color they are brown or olive-green, in texture thick and leathery, but they sometimes expand into thin membranes. They are many times forked in the same plane, which produces a flat thallus. They often have a distinct midrib. The air-vessels, whose function it is to float the plant, are disposed along the midrib, usually in pairs.

The species are named according to the divisions of the frond, and the disposition, or presence, of the air-bladders and the conceptacles, or spore-chambers.

The conceptacles congregate in particular portions of the frond and give its surface a roughness which is very perceptible; such portions are then known as the receptacles. In Fucus this usually occurs on the bulbous extremities of the branches. Under the microscope a section of one of these little pointed spots shows a spherical cavity filled with a beautiful arrangement of paraphyses, or threads, some of which hold spores, while others protrude through a small opening in the outer membrane. Conceptacles are peculiar to the order FucaceÆ. In them spore-production is carried on in a manner as complicated as is the formation of seeds in flowering plants. Although rockweeds are such a conspicuous feature of sea-shore vegetation, two species only, Fucus vesiculosus and Ascophyllum nodosum (formerly called Fucus nodosus), are common on the Atlantic coast, and these do not occur south of New York, owing to the fact that a long stretch of sand-beach extends beyond that point.

F. vesiculosus. Midrib distinct through all the forked branches; margin entire, often wavy; air-vessels spherical or oblong, usually in pairs along the midrib; receptacles on terminal branches, which are swollen and filled with gelatinous matter, heart-shaped or forked, in oblong or pointed divisions; frond tough and leathery, often two feet long. (Plate XIV.)

PLATE XV.
Fucus serratus. Fucus ceranoides.
Ascophyllum nodosum.
PLATE XVI.
Phyllospora Menziesii. Halidrys osmunda.
Sargassum vulgare.

F. serratus. Frond distinctly toothed or serrated along the margin; midrib conspicuous through the main axis and forked branchings; no air-vessels. This species is rare on the Atlantic coast. (Plate XV.)

F. furcatus. Frond narrow, tough, without air-vessels; regular forked branching; midrib distinct below, inconspicuous above; receptacles long, narrow, not inflated. Found from Boston northward.

F. ceranoides. Frond flat, rather membranaceous, or less leathery than in the preceding species; repeatedly forked; midrib not running through every division; no air-vessels. (Plate XV.)

Genus Ascophyllum

A. nodosum. This species, formerly called Fucus nodosus, is next to Fucus vesiculosus the most common rockweed. Frond one to five feet long, dark brown, strap-like, leathery; width of main stems one fourth of an inch or more, and uniform throughout; large, single, oblong air-vessels distend the frond at intervals. Branches of various length emerge from the sides of the main stem. Ovoid or ellipsoidal branchlets or receptacles, single or in groups, occur at intervals along the sides of both stem and branches. These fall off after a time and are found in quantities in tide-pools. (Plate XV.)

Genus Phyllospora

P. Menziesii. Branching holdfast; short stem which immediately divides into strap-like branches; branches edged with leaves varying in length, rounded at top, narrow, stalked at base; leaves placed at intervals, or crowded together, and interspersed with air-vessels which are often tipped with leaflets; stems expand at summit into leaf-like laminÆ and are edged with leaflets at the base; plant often one hundred and twenty feet or more in length; tough and leathery in substance. Very common on the California coast. (Plate XVI.)

Genus Cystoseira

C. expansa. Frond long, slender, repeatedly branched; air-vessels ellipsoidal and "chained" together in the lower half of the branches. The plant grows in deep water, ad shows iridescent colors when seen through the water. It is found on the California coast.

Genus Halidrys

H. osmunda, the sea-oak. Frond flat, alternately toothed or indented below; branched apex, bearing air-vessels like long-stalked pods; substance leathery. Found on the coast of southern California. (Plate XVI.)

Genus Sargassum

Sargassum is distinguished by its differentiation into stem and leaf, resembling in outward appearance the higher plants. It [pg074] is a tropical and subtropical genus, and has one hundred and fifty species. Two of these, S. vulgare and S. Montagnei, are found as far north as Cape Cod. See Introduction, page 34.

S. vulgare. Stems cylindrical; branches alternate; leaves long, narrow, toothed, with short stalk and midrib; minute dark spots on its surface; air-vessels small balls resembling berries set on stalks and usually tipped with a long point; receptacles small, twig-like forms in the axils of the leaves; color olive-brown; plant one foot to three or more feet long. Common in Long Island Sound. (Plate XVI.)

S. Montagnei. This species resembles S. vulgare, but is more slender in all its parts, and the receptacles are more elongated. From south of Cape Cod.

S. bacciferum. Particular interest attaches to this species from the fact that it is the one which forms the floating vegetation of the Sargasso Sea. It grows attached on the Florida Keys and in the West Indies. Specimens are sometimes carried by the currents northward, and are found washed ashore. It differs from S. vulgare in the leaves, which are thicker, more attenuated, and sharply toothed, and in having a greater number of air-vessels. A branch of this species brought from the Sargasso Sea had air-vessels so numerous and closely set that it resembled a bunch of small grapes.

III
RED SEAWEEDS
(RHODOPHYCEÆ OR FLORIDEÆ)

TABLE SHOWING THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE RED SEAWEEDS DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Class ALGÆ
    • Subclass RhodophyceÆ or FlorideÆ (Red Seaweeds)
      • Order NEMALIONACEÆ
        • Suborder HELMINTHOCLADIEÆ
          • Genus Nemalion
            • N. multifidum
          • Genus Liagora
        • Suborder CHÆTANGIEÆ
          • Genus Scinaia
            • S. furcellata
        • Suborder GELIDIEÆ
          • Genus Gelidium
            • G. corneum
      • Order GIGARTINACEÆ
          • Genus Chondrus
            • C. crispus
          • Genus Gigartina
            • G. mamillosa
            • G. radula
            • G. spinosa
            • G. microphylla
          • Genus Phyllophora
            • P. membranifolia
            • P. BrodiÆi
          • Genus Sternogramme
            • S. interrupta
          • Genus Gymnogongrus
            • G. Norvegicus
          • Genus Ahnfeldtia
            • A. plicata
          • Genus Callophyllis
            • C. variegata
            • C. laciniata
          • Genus IridÆa
        • Suborder RHODOPHYLLIDEÆ
          • Genus Cystoclonium
            • C. purpurascens
            • C. cirrhosa
          • Genus Euthora
            • E. cristata
          • Genus Rhodophyllis
            • R. veprecula
          • Genus Rhabdonia
            • R. tenera
            • R. Coulteri
          • Genus Eucheuma
            • E. isiforme
      • Order RHODYMENIACEÆ
        • Suborder SPHÆROCOCCEÆ
          • Genus Gracilaria
            • G. multipartita
          • Genus Hypnea
            • H. musciformis
        • Suborder RHODYMENIEÆ
          • Genus Rhodymenia
            • R. palmata
          • Genus Lomentaria
            • L. Baileyana
          • Genus Champia
            • C. parvula
          • Genus Chylocladia
            • C. articulata
          • Genus Plocamium
            • P. coccineum
        • Suborder DELESSERIEÆ
          • Genus Nitophyllum
            • N. laceratum
            • N. Ruprechteanum
            • N. punctatum
          • Genus Grinnellia
            • G. Americana
          • Genus Delesseria
            • D. sinuosa
            • D. alata
            • D. Leprieurii
        • Suborder RHODOMELEÆ
          • Genus Polysiphonia
            • P. fastigiata
            • P. nigrescens
            • P. parasitica
            • P. dendroidea
            • P. Baileyi
            • P. Harveyi
            • P. Olneyi
            • P. fibrillosa
            • P. violacea
            • P. urceolata
              • Var. formosa
            • P. variegata
            • P. Woodii
          • Genus Laurencia
            • L. pinnatifida
          • Genus Dasya
            • D. elegans
            • D. plumosa
          • Genus Bostrychia
            • B. rivularis
          • Genus Rhodomela
            • R. subfusca
            • R. Rochei
            • R. larix
            • R. floccosa
          • Genus Chondria
            • C. dasyphylla
            • C. tenuissima
            • C. striolata
        • Suborder CERAMIEÆ
          • Genus Callithamnion
            • C. americanum
            • C. PylaisÆi
            • C. Baileyi
            • C. seirospermum
            • C. byssoideum
            • C. floccosum
          • Genus Griffithsia
            • G. Bornetiana
          • Genus Ptilota
            • P. serrata
            • P. elegans
            • P. densa
            • P. hypnoides
          • Genus Spyridia
            • S. filamentosa
          • Genus Ceramium
            • C. rubrum
              • Var. proliferum
              • Var. secundatum
            • C. strictum
            • C. diaphanum
            • C. fastigiatum
            • C. tenuissimum
              • Var. patentissimum
          • Genus Microcladia
            • M. Coulteri
            • M. borealis
      • Order CRYPTONEMIACEÆ
        • Suborder GLOIOSIPHONIEÆ
          • Genus Gloiosiphonia
            • G. capillaris
        • Suborder GRATELOUPIEÆ
          • Genus Halymenia
            • H. ligulata
          • Genus Grateloupia
            • G. Cutleria
          • Genus Prionitis
            • P. lanceolata
            • P. Andersonii
        • Suborder DUMONTIEÆ
          • Genus Pikea
            • P. Californica
          • Genus Halosaccion
            • H. ramentaceum
        • Suborder RHIZOPHYLLIDEÆ
          • Genus Polyides
            • P. rotundus
        • Suborder SQUAMARIEÆ
          • Genus Peyssonnelia
            • P. Dubyi
          • Genus Petrocelis
            • P. cruenta
          • Genus Hildenbrandtia
            • H. rosea
        • Suborder CORALLINEÆ
          • Genus Corallina
            • C. officinalis
          • Genus Melobesia
      • Order BANGIACEÆ
          • Genus Bangia
            • B. fusco-purpurea
          • Genus Porphyra
            • P. vulgaris
            • P. laciniata

RED SEAWEEDS

In RhodophyceÆ, known also as FlorideÆ and RhodospermeÆ, algÆ attain their highest development. This is marked by the mode of reproduction, which, more nearly than in the other subclasses, resembles that of flowering plants. The fronds, however, are not as large and do not as closely resemble stem and leaf as do some species of the brown algÆ.

The species of this subclass are very numerous, and the variety in their fronds, their delicate texture, and their colors, which vary from pink to purple, make them the most attractive of the seaweeds. They grow mostly in deep water, but are often found washed ashore, and many grow just below low-water mark and on the shady side of tide-pools.

In the simplest species the frond consists of branched cell-rows. In some of these the filaments are so fine that a pocket-lens is required to determine the differences in branching and fully to appreciate the beauty of the plant (Callithamnion). Some have a cell-surface. In Delesseria the membrane assumes the outline of a foliage-leaf. Dasya, which is an abundant variety, is especially beautiful in its feather-like appearance. The corallines are singular in that they are incrusted with lime and resemble corals.

ORDER NEMALIONACEÆ

Suborder HELMINTHOCLADIEÆ

Genus Nemalion

The threadweeds.

N. multifidum. Frond six to twelve inches long, cylindrical, solid, cord-like, elastic, tough, shiny, very gelatinous; branches repeatedly in [pg080] a wide-forking manner; sometimes a branch will divide into several parts at the same point; color dark brown or purple. It is found, in summer only, from Long Island Sound northward, growing on smooth rocks which are exposed to the action of the waves.

Genus Liagora

Fronds filamentous; branching regularly in a forking manner to the very top, forming thick bunches; slightly incrusted with lime, yet somewhat viscid. It is found in Florida and California, and abounds in tropical waters.

Suborder CHÆTANGIEÆ

Genus Scinaia

S. furcellata. Frond cylindrical, one eighth of an inch in diameter, tapering at base, sometimes constricted at intervals, regularly and several times forked, ending in short divisions; branches of same length, giving a level top; two to four inches high; lake-red. When pressed the axis is visible, giving the appearance of a flat frond with a midrib. This species is found in summer only, washed ashore from Cape Cod southward and on the California coast. It is not common. (Plate XVII.)

Suborder GELIDIEÆ

Genus Gelidium

G. corneum. Frond flat and horny, one inch to four inches high, narrow, erect, branched several times in the same plane; ultimate branchlets club-shaped, or swollen at the tips with masses of spores; color purple-red. It grows in tufts on mud-covered rocks, and on algÆ at low-water mark. The typical form is found in Florida and on the Pacific coast. Smaller plants are found all along the Atlantic shore. It is an extremely variable plant, and is often difficult to distinguish on this account. (Plate XVII.)

PLATE XVII.
Scinaia furcellata. Gelidium corneum.
Gelidium Coulteri. Chondrus crispus.

ORDER GIGARTINACEÆ

Genus Chondrus

Carrageen or Irish moss.

C. crispus. Frond begins with flattened stem, which divides and subdivides many times in a broad-forked, fan-like manner; varies greatly in length and breadth of divisions, also in size and color, according to conditions of its habitation. In shallow tide-pools it is pale and [pg081] stunted; but under the shelter of rocks, in deep water, it grows in dense masses and is a dark purplish-red or reddish-green. Often it appears iridescent when seen through the water, with the sun shining on it. It is firm and leathery in substance. It is an edible alga, and was formerly very generally used for culinary purposes. At Hingham, Massachusetts, large quantities are gathered as an article of commerce. It is a beautiful and very common plant found from New York northward. (Plate XVII.)

Genus Gigartina

Of the species of this genus but one is found on the eastern coast; on the Pacific coast there are several, and they are large and conspicuous.

PLATE XVIII.
Gigartina mamillosa. Gigartina radula.
Gigartina spinosa. Gigartina microphylla.

G. mamillosa. Frond three to six inches high, one inch to two inches broad, flat, leathery, gelatinous; forking near the base, then dividing and subdividing in the same plane; segments more or less wedge-shaped and with a tendency to roll inward; covered with numerous small nipple-like protuberances which contain the spores. These projections distinguish this genus from Chondrus, which it otherwise resembles, and with which it grows. The color is dark purple. It is found from Boston northward. (Plate XVIII.)

G. radula. Frond flat and thick; rising from a short stem and widening to several inches; sometimes tapering to the top, sometimes blunt or divided, sometimes cleft on the sides, but usually simple; covered with wart-like projections; color dark, livid red. It is found on the Pacific coast at all seasons, growing on rocks between tide-marks. Large specimens are one foot to three feet long and six to ten inches wide. (Plate XVIII.)

G. spinosa ("thorny"). Frond thick, leathery; surface rough and spiny; form variable, the divisions sometimes emanating from a broad, flattened base, or again branching from a main axis; all covered with the protruding processes peculiar to the genus; color dark red, brown, or purple. It is found on the California coast. (Plate XVIII.)

G. microphylla ("small-leaved"). Plant rises from short, flat stem, and rapidly expands into a flat, wide, thin frond which is simple or divided into two or three segments, each of which tapers into a long, pointed apex; thickly covered with long, slender spines, and on its edges bearing small, thin leaflets; color brownish-red. It is abundant on the California coast. (Plate XVIII.)

Genus Phyllophora

Leafweed. Fronds cylindrical; branched stalks which expand into rigid, membranaceous, simple or cleft, wedge-shaped laminÆ; laminÆ bear leaflets on their edges or on their surface; spores in masses form projections on the surface, or are on stalks at the summit; color dark red. Found washed ashore from New York northward. [pg082]

P. membranifolia. Several stems rise from same disk; branches expand into wedge-shaped, cleft or forked laminÆ; lobes bear on the summit other laminÆ or leaflets divided in the same manner.

P. BrodiÆi. Stem less branched and leaf-expansions broader and larger than in P. membranifolia; laminÆ wedge-shaped and deeply lobed. (Plate XIX.)

Genus Sternogramme

S. interrupta. Frond a thin membrane repeatedly forked, widely spreading, divisions one fourth to one half of an inch wide; fertile plants have the spores arranged in an interrupted line through the center of the segments resembling a midrib; frond two to eight inches high; bright red. It is found on the California coast. The illustration shows a plant on which the hydroid Sertularia pumila is growing. (Plate XIX.)

Genus Gymnogongrus

G. Norvegicus. Frond two to four inches high, thin but leathery in substance, flat, narrow, divided in a regular forking manner; spreading ends of terminal forks obtuse; axils rounded; spores form spherical masses in the upper segments, and project on both sides like hemispheres. It resembles a simple form of Chondrus crispus, but is more delicate. The color is red or purple. This species is found in deep tide-pools from New York northward. (Plate XIX.)

Genus Ahnfeldtia

A. plicata. Frond coarse, stem-like filaments, stiff, wiry, irregularly and profusely branched; sometimes regularly forked and upper segments equal; entangled; six to eight inches long; tufts several inches in diameter; dark purple or black. Specimens long exposed on the beach are faded to white. It is very common from New York northward. (Plate XIX.)

Genus Callophyllis

C. variegata. Deeply cleft, wide-spreading, flat, membranaceous frond; all parts notched more or less angularly; color dark to bright red; spores form hemispherical warts on surface. Some varieties differ from this one in having long and narrow, and others in having short and broad segments. It is a beautiful and common alga on the Pacific coast, resembling Euthora of the eastern coast. (Plate XX.)

C. laciniata. Frond deeply cleft; segments wedge-shaped. It is found on the Pacific coast. (Plate XX.)

PLATE XIX.
Phyllophora BrodiÆi. Sternogramme interrupta.
Gymnogongrus Norvegicus. Ahnfeldtia plicata.
PLATE XX.
Callophyllis variegata. Callophyllis laciniata.
IridÆa. Cystoclonium cirrhosa.

Genus IridÆa

Frond rises from stalk and widens into a flat, thick, leathery, oval expansion, one to two feet long, and one to three inches broad; [pg083] simple or lobed; surface sometimes roughened by collections of spores in dots; dark red, often glittering in the water with blue and purple tints. It is found on the Pacific coast. (Plate XX.)

Suborder RHODOPHYLLIDEÆ

Genus Cystoclonium

C. purpurascens. The translucent, fleshy, juicy main stem, one eighth of an inch or less in diameter, runs through the whole plant; irregularly branched all around main stem; branches again branch in same manner; branches attenuated at the base, and taper to a long point; smaller branches distended in places by spores into bladder-like swellings, hence the name; color rose-red to dark purple; plants exposed on the beach often faded to orange and white; six to eighteen inches long. It grows on rocks between tide-marks as well as in deep water. With the exception of Ceramium rubrum, this is the most common red alga on the eastern coast from New York northward. It differs from Rhabdonia in having bladdery branches; otherwise it is easily mistaken for it.

C. cirrhosa. Ends of branches terminate in spirals like tendrils; otherwise identical with C. purpurascens. (Plate XX.)

Genus Euthora

E. cristata. Frond one inch to five inches high, membranaceous, broadly spreading; divisions wide and numerous, ultimately becoming fine like minute branchlets, each one of which, under a glass, shows a notch in the tip. This beautiful, bright-red alga is found in abundance north of Cape Cod. It differs from Delesseria alata in having no midrib or veins. It grows in deep water on stones, shells, and algÆ. (Plate XXI.)

Genus Rhodophyllis ("Rosy leaf")

R. veprecula. Frond two to five inches long, one fourth of an inch to one and one half inches broad, membranaceous, forked; margin covered with leaflets which are in turn edged with minute branchlets; color deep red. It is found on the northern New England coast. (Plate XXI.)

Genus Rhabdonia ("A wand")

R. tenera. Frond six to eighteen inches long, cylindrical, fleshy, translucent, juicy; irregularly and profusely branched, branches longest at the base, erect, tapering at both ends, numerous branchlets; sometimes the main stem runs through the plant, sometimes it is lost in the [pg084] branching; spore-masses sometimes form knotty bunches on the side of branches. It resembles a large Cystoclonium purpurascens. It is characteristic of Long Island Sound, and is not found north of Cape Cod, but common from there southward along the whole Atlantic coast. (Plate XXI.)

R. Coulteri. This species is common on the Pacific coast, and differs from R. tenera in having a more pronounced leading stem, and branches shorter and crowded at the top of the frond.

Genus Eucheuma

E. isiforme. Frond grows in tufts a foot or more in diameter; stems branch in all directions from a central point, and taper gradually to the end; secondary branches spread to all sides; all branches swollen at intervals and armed with several spines spreading from a conical base; color dark red, becoming on exposure orange or yellow, and at length semi-transparent and horn-like; substance firmly cartilaginous. Abundant at Key West.

ORDER RHODYMENIACEÆ

Suborder SPHÆROCOCCEÆ

Genus Gracilaria

G. multipartita ("many times divided"). Frond four to twelve inches long; starting from a short, cylindrical stem, it flattens and broadens as it rises, dividing in an irregular, forking manner, or cleft into palmate segments which broaden as they rise, and which divide in the same manner; often cleft or branched on the edges; conical spore-masses scattered over the frond during July and August; dingy purple in color. The plant is variable and sometimes is difficult to determine. It is common from Cape Cod southward. A narrow variety is most abundant in Long Island Sound. In Florida and on the California coast there are broad varieties which may be mistaken for Rhodymenia. (Plate XXI.)

Genus Hypnea

H. musciformis ("moss-like"). Frond six to twelve inches long; main stem running through, thick below and tapering to the size of a bristle; much and irregularly branched, especially at the base; branches wide-spreading in every direction, and longest at the base; branches branch again in the same manner; all parts beset with short, horizontal spines; color purplish-red. A characteristic feature, by which the plant can easily be distinguished, is that the ends of the long branches are naked and are turned over like a hook, or nearly twisted. It is found washed ashore, often in large, intricately twisted tufts, from Cape Cod southward and on the Pacific coast.

PLATE XXI.
Euthora cristata. Rhodophyllis veprecula.
Rhabdonia tenera. Gracilaria multipartita.
PLATE XXII.
Rhodymenia palmata. Rhodymenia palmata.
Lomentaria Baileyana. Chylocladia articulata.
Suborder RHODYMENIEÆ

Genus Rhodymenia ("Red membrane")

R. palmata ("hand-shaped"). The plant commonly known as dulse. Frond rises from a disk in a short cylindrical stem which spreads into a thin, broad, fan-shaped membrane six to twelve inches long and four to eight inches wide at the top; deeply and irregularly cleft into many wedge-shaped segments; margin usually entire, but often with leaflets; ends of segments indented, showing where divisions will ultimately occur; color dark purplish-red. It grows on rocks and on algÆ below low-water mark, and is common on the New England and California coasts. This is an edible alga, and, like Chondrus crispus, is an article of food in seaports. (Plate XXII.)

Genus Lomentaria

L. Baileyana. Fronds two to five inches high; grows in tufts; filaments tubular, irregularly branched; branchlets often all on one side; branches and branchlets curved or arched, and tapered at both ends; color brownish-red. It is found washed ashore from Cape Cod southward. (Plate XXII.)

Genus Champia

C. parvula. Frond two to six inches long, irregularly branched; grows in tufts; filaments hollow and constricted, so that they appear somewhat like a string of beads; color brownish-purple. It is found washed ashore from Cape Cod southward. (Plate XXIII.)

Genus Chylocladia

C. articulata. Frond filamentous, three to twelve inches long, hollow, constricted at intervals; branches emanate from constricted joints; has the appearance of a series of pink, delicate, oval sacs. (Plate XXII.)

Genus Plocamium

P. coccineum ("scarlet"). Frond a flat, semi-cartilaginous main stem one eighth of an inch, or less, wide, three to eight inches long, with alternate branches of unequal length emanating from the edges; branches have alternate branchlets arranged in groups of three or four in a row; branchlets have pinnulÆ on the upper side, like the teeth of a comb (this peculiarity in branching makes the genus easy to identify); color dark lake-red. It is not found on the eastern coast, but is plentiful in California. (Plate XXIII.)

Suborder DELESSERIEÆ

Genus Nitophyllum

N. laceratum. Frond expands from narrow base and divides almost at once into long, narrow, strap-shaped segments; minute leaflets, showing [pg086] a dot or spore-cluster, occur at intervals on the margin; plant six to eight inches long; thin and silky in texture. Abundant on the California coast. (Plate XXIII.)

N. Ruprechteanum. Frond one foot to two feet long, spreading from narrow base and dividing by forking into deep-cut, broad, strap-like lobes; top divisions rounded; traversed lengthwise by parallel veins; margin of the older parts bordered with a narrow frill of thin ruffled membrane which sometimes extends also over parts of the surface of the frond; substance somewhat rigid; color dark red to purple. It is found on the California coast. (Plate XXIV.)

N. punctatum. Frond six to twenty inches long and of the same width, dividing in a forking manner; crowded at top; when in fruit, covered with dark dots; substance thin and silky; color rose-pink. It is found on the California coast. (Plate XXIV.)

Genus Grinnellia (Named for Mr. Henry Grinnell of New York)

G. Americana. Frond a delicate membrane, rose-red or purplish in color, leaf-shaped, four to eight inches long, one inch to four inches wide, tapering at both ends; margin entire, but much waved; a line of darker color through the center resembles a midrib; masses of spores form dots or specks irregularly over the whole surface; grows from a disk and short slender stem in bunches on shells and stones in deep water. It is found washed ashore from Cape Cod southward, and is luxuriant in New York Bay, where it can be found at any season, but is in perfection in August. (Plate XXIV.)

Genus Delesseria

D. sinuosa. Delicate, leaf-like membrane, with midrib and veins, much indented and resembling in general outline an oak-leaf; four to eight inches long, two to four inches broad; short stem; color dark red, often flecked with green. It grows in bunches in deep water, and is easily distinguished, since it is the only alga having a midrib and veins, and resembling the leaf of a tree. It is found washed ashore from Cape Cod northward. (Plate XXIV.)

D. alata ("winged"). Frond rises from short stem, which flattens and divides irregularly into many branches and appears like a midrib, all bordered with narrow membrane one eighth of an inch to one inch wide; frond two to four inches long; color light red or pink. It is found on the shore from Cape Cod northward. (Plate XXV.)

D. Leprieurii. Frond one inch to two inches long, very narrow, with delicate midrib, forked, constricted at intervals; branches start from constricted points; thin and delicate; color purple. It is found in tidal rivers near New York, and is common on the southern coast. (Plate XXV.)

PLATE XXIII.
Champia parvula. Champia parvula, magnified.
Plocamium coccineum. Nitophyllum laceratum.
PLATE XXIV.
Nitophyllum Ruprechteanum. Nitophyllum punctatum.
Grinnellia americana. Delesseria sinuosa.
PLATE XXV.
Delesseria alata. Delesseria Leprieurii.
Polysiphonia fastigiata (on Ascophyllum). Polysiphonia parasitica.
PLATE XXVI.
Polysiphonia dendroidea. Polysiphonia dendroidea, a piece magnified.
Polysiphonia Harveyi. Polysiphonia Harveyi, a piece magnified.
Suborder RHODOMELEÆ

The genera included in this suborder are easily distinguished when in fruit by the spore-cases, or cystocarps, which appear [pg087] like little balls, either adherent to the branches, or raised on short stalks. It is the largest group, and contains many of the most beautiful of the red algÆ.

Genus Polysiphonia ("Many tubes")

A filament of Polysiphonia appears, when seen under the microscope, like a bundle of filaments made up of a central tube, or axis, surrounded by a number of other tubes. It is by the number of these parts, called siphons, which vary in number from four to twenty, that the species is determined. In some plants the siphons are surrounded by a layer of cells, called corticating or bark cells, which give the filaments a solid, uniform appearance. In others the siphons are naked, and the filaments then seem striped or banded with color. It is difficult, without a microscope, to be sure of the classification. There are, however, other characteristics which separate many of the species, and some of these are described below. Two hundred species of Polysiphonia have been named by algologists. The plants are plentiful on all shores, especially in warm, shallow waters. Some species are perennial, but most of them are annuals and disappear in winter.

P. fastigiata. This species grows on Ascophyllum nodosum in a globular tuft, and appears like a dark-brown ball, one inch to three inches in diameter. The frond is a dense mass of rigid filaments branching many times in a forking manner and at broad angles. The ends are of nearly equal length, giving the plant a spherical shape. It is common from New York northward at all seasons, and is easily recognized by its general form and place of growth. Egg-shaped cystocarps, or spore-cases, occur in the ends of the terminal filaments. (Plate XXV.)

P. nigrescens. Frond three to twelve inches long, rigid below, soft above; main stem thick as a bristle, but not always easy to distinguish; branches alternate and densely branched at the ends; siphons twelve to sixteen in number; filaments banded; color black or very dark brown. (Plate XXVII.)

P. parasitica. Frond one inch to three inches long; branched in a pinnate or feather-like manner; filaments flat; all branches and branchlets emanating from the edges and on the same plane, giving a flat frond; color reddish-brown; resembles a fine Ptilota plumosa; cystocarps on short stalks. It is found on the California coast. (Plate XXV.)

P. dendroidea. This is a variety of the species P. parasitica. Frond four to five inches long; main branches placed at irregular intervals, but the secondary branches at regular intervals and alternate; branches [pg088] set at acute angles, giving the plant a slender appearance; color black or dark brown. It is common on the California coast. (Plate XXVI.)

P. Baileyi. Frond three to six inches high, flat; branches emanate from edges of the flat stems; main branches wide-spreading and irregularly placed, secondary branches regular and alternate; branchlets one eighth to one half of an inch long, covered on the edges and around the top with incurved ramuli; branchlets broken off near the base of the branches in mature plants; branchlets usually uniform in length, but occasionally one is longer and branches like the primary stem; color black. Common on the California coast.

P. Harveyi. Frond two to six inches high; grows in globose tufts, and has a bushy aspect; branches stiff and wide-spreading; stems and branches beset with simple or branched spine-like branchlets; color dark brown, or black when dry; does not collapse when taken from the water; cystocarps on short stalks; siphons four in number. It grows on eel-grass and algÆ, and is common in Long Island Sound and northward. Called locally niggerhair. (Plate XXVI.)

P. Olneyi (dough-balls). Fronds two to five inches high, densely tufted; soft filaments of hair-like fineness, much branched, and spreading; when in fruit covered with tiny balls or cystocarps; siphons four in number. It is common from Cape Cod to New York.

P. fibrillosa. Frond four to ten inches high, rather robust below; main stem quickly lost in a number of prominent stems and spreading branches; irregularly and profusely branched, becoming ultimately very fine; numerous branchlets covered with colorless fibrils in hairy tufts, which give it a misty appearance; fibrils so delicate that they do not show well in dried specimens, but a distinct feature by which to recognize the species in the young plant; color light to dark brown; cystocarps adherent to branchlets or on short stalks; siphons four in number; main branches only corticated. It is common in summer on stones and on eel-grass, at low-water mark, from Cape Cod to New York. (Plate XXVII.)

P. violacea. Fronds six to twenty-four inches high, pyramidal in general outline; main axis with long, wide-spreading branches at the base; branches rather robust and naked below, but numerous and becoming very fine and tufted at top; cystocarps adherent or on short stalks; siphons four in number; main stems corticated; ultimate branchlets show articulations; color brownish-red. It is common from New York northward. (Plate XXVII.)

P. urceolata. Frond three to ten inches high; main stem bristle-like; branches naked below, divided and subdivided above; branches with short branchlets set at a wide angle and often recurved; siphons four in number; shows articulations; color deep red. Name refers to cystocarp, which resembles a pitcher. The plant grows in loose tufts, and is common from New York northward and on the California coast.

Variety formosa. Filaments soft and finer than in P. urceolata; branches long and flexuous; articulations five to ten times longer than broad; color bright red. It grows in tufts sometimes a foot long, and is found only in the spring.

PLATE XXVII.
Polysiphonia nigrescens. Polysiphonia fibrillosa.
Polysiphonia violacea. Polysiphonia Woodii.
PLATE XXVIII.
Laurencia pinnatifida. Dasya elegans.
Dasya plumosa. Dasya plumosa, magnified.

P. variegata. Fronds four to ten inches high; filaments thick as a bristle below, and branched in a forking manner to the very top; divided at long intervals below, at the top becoming of hair-like fineness [pg089] and dividing rapidly, forming a densely tufted mass, which collapses when taken from the water; color purple-brown; when mounted, silky in appearance; filaments banded; siphons six in number. It forms purple tufts on woodwork and on eel-grass from Cape Cod southward.

P. Woodii. Fronds four to six inches high; branches flat, long, wide-spreading, emanating from the edges in one plane; younger branches show articulations; ultimate branchlets inclined to curve inward; color light brown. Found on the California coast. (Plate XXVII.)

Genus Laurencia

L. pinnatifida. Frond flat, thick, leathery; main stem with opposite, or alternate, branches of about the same size and character as itself; all pinnatifid, or cut on the edges into branchlets, some of which are again divided; color bright purple, often unevenly faded. It is found on the Pacific coast. (Plate XXVIII.)

Genus Dasya

Chenille-weed.

D. elegans. Fronds from six inches to three yards long; main stem and branches cylindrical, and all densely clothed with a fine, hair-like fringe, which gives the plant the appearance of chenille; cystocarps on stalks along the branches; color pink or lake-red. Out of water it seems like a mass of purple jelly. It is found at or just below low-water mark from Cape Cod southward, and is very plentiful in New York Bay. (Plate XXVIII.)

D. plumosa. A species found on the California coast. The fringe covering the stems consists of minute leaflets instead of hairs, as in D. elegans. (Plate XXVIII.)

Genus Bostrychia

B. rivularis. Fronds one inch high; color dark purple; branches fine and irregularly bent. It grows where the water is not very salt, and is found in patches on submerged logs near New York. Common from Charleston, South Carolina, southward. (Plate XXIX.)

Genus Rhodomela

R. subfusca. Frond six to eighteen inches long; main stem cylindrical, and branching widely on all sides; branches longest at base and gradually shortening to the top of the stem; branches naked below, but at the ends profusely branched, forming tufts of branchlets. It is a perennial plant, and changes in aspect with the season. When mature it is stiff and coarse, and when dry it is quite black. Common from New York northward.

R. Rochei. This species resembles in form R. subfusca, but is much finer and more delicate. In spring it is a soft, fine, feathery, and beautiful [pg090] alga of a red-brown color. It is found washed ashore, or in deep tide-pools, south of Cape Cod. (Plate XXIX.)

R. larix. Frond cylindrical, robust, six to fourteen inches high; branches of unequal length standing out horizontally all around the main stem; clusters of branchlets growing spirally around stem and branches. Found on the northern California coast. (Plate XXIX.)

R. floccosa. Frond four to ten inches high; less robust than R. larix; stem and branches flat and divided in one plane; branches alternate; ultimate branchlets somewhat incurved; color black. In fertile plants the terminal branchlets are gathered in a mass. Found on the California coast. (Plate XXIX.)

Genus Chondria

Plants of this genus are distinguished by having the ultimate branches attenuated at the base.

C. dasyphylla. Frond four to eight inches high; general outline pyramidal; branches alternate on main stem; stem and branches covered with short, club-shaped (blunt at top, attenuated at base) branchlets; cystocarps, or spore-cases, adherent to branchlets or on short stalks; color light or dull brown. It grows in tufts, and is common from New York to Cape Cod. (Plate XXX.)

C. tenuissima. This species is similar to C. dasyphylla, but is more slender, and the branchlets taper at both ends instead of being club-shaped.

C. striolata. A species similar to C. tenuissima. The branchlets bear secondary branchlets, and the cystocarps are on short stalks. It is plentiful in Long Island Sound.

Suborder CERAMIEÆ

Genus Callithamnion

These are very beautiful and delicate plants, growing in small, soft, silky tufts, bright red in color, with darker dots along the much-branched filaments. There are many species, and they are common on the northern shores of both oceans; but the different species are not easy to distinguish with the naked eye, and so but a few of them are described below. The special characteristics by which the genus may be recognized are: fronds filamentous, of cobweb fineness, one inch to six inches long, much branched, and closely crowded at the top; brilliant red color.

PLATE XXIX.
Bostrychia rivularis. Rhodomela Rochei.
Rhodomela larix. Rhodomela floccosa.
PLATE XXX.
Chondria dasyphylla. Callithamnion americanum.
Callithamnion PylaisÆi. Callithamnion PylaisÆi, a piece magnified.

C. americanum. Frond three to six inches long, densely tufted; filaments of extreme fineness; main branches alternate; much branched; main and secondary branches have pairs of branched ramuli along the [pg091] branches; color rose-pink. It grows on wharves and on algÆ below low-water mark, and is a common and beautiful species. It is found (but only in the spring) from New York northward, and is abundant in Long Island Sound. (Plates XXX, XXXI.)

C. Pylaisoei. Fronds three to six inches long, more robust and darker in color than in C. Americanum; main and secondary branches alternate, decompound, all bearing at short intervals short opposite branchlets, which in turn are covered with ramuli. It is found in spring on wharves and on algÆ from Boston northward. (Plate XXX.)

C. Baileyi. Fronds one inch to three inches long, with main stem as thick as a bristle, and running to the top of the frond; branches around the main stem longer at the base than at the apex, giving the plant a pyramidal outline; branches also have a main stem and short branches beset with branchlets; shrub-like in aspect; color purplish-red. Common in summer from New York to Cape Cod.

C. seirospermum. Frond two to five inches high, pyramidal in outline; has main stem and alternate lateral branches; branches have secondary branches beset with delicate, erect branchlets; hair-like in fineness. It is common from Cape Cod southward, and is plentiful in Long Island Sound. (Plate XXXI.)

C. byssoideum. Fronds one inch to three inches long; filaments very delicate; main branches many times divided; secondary branches long; many branchlets; rose-colored. It grows in globose tufts, and is common in Long Island Sound. (Plate XXXI.)

C. floccosum. Fronds three to six inches long, hair-like in fineness; flaccid; main branches sparingly branched below; numerous alternate branches above; all clothed with short, simple branchlets; color dark brownish-red. The plant is so exceedingly fine that it is difficult to distinguish the divisions. It grows on eel-grass and on algÆ below low-water mark, and is found from New York to Cape Cod. (Plate XXXI.)

Genus Griffithsia (Named for Mrs. Griffiths, an English algologist)

These are among the most beautiful of seaweeds, because of their brilliant color and exceedingly delicate structure. They grow in deep water, and specimens cast ashore are usually torn and imperfect, but they may often be gathered from deep tide-pools, and sometimes are found growing on eel-grass. If placed in fresh water they discharge their coloring-matter and quickly decompose.

G. Bornetiana. Fronds two to five inches high; filaments jointed, the divisions being long and pear-shaped, growing shorter as they near the top; repeatedly forked; very soft and fragile. It grows in tufts, resembling corals; attains perfection in July, and disappears later in the summer. Found from Cape Cod southward, washed ashore after storms. (Plate XXXII.) [pg092]

Genus Ptilota

Feather-weed.

P. serrata. Fronds three to six inches long, dark red in color, cartilaginous; flattened main stem with opposite, flattened branches, one of which is minute, so that it appears like alternate branching; branches also have lateral branchlets and pinnulÆ, looking like feathers or ferns; all branching in one plane, making a flat frond. It is found in the drift on the beach after a storm, and is common from Cape Cod northward, and also on the California coast. (Plate XXXII.)

P. elegans. Narrower and more delicate than P. serrata, otherwise it has the same essential features. It is common in summer from New York northward, growing on cliffs, under Fucus, near low-water mark, and it is also found washed upon the beach. (Plate XXXII.)

P. densa. Frond three to twelve inches high, one eighth of an inch wide, flat, cartilaginous; has leading stem with flat alternate branches; branches simple or branched again; edges of whole plant beset with notched, curved pinnulÆ alternating with smaller feather-like pinnulÆ, giving a dense edge to all parts of the frond. It is found on the California coast. (Plate XXXIII.)

P. hypnoides. Flat, cartilaginous main stem, much branched, and all beset with pinnulÆ. It differs from P. densa in having the alternate pinnulÆ straight and club-shaped, instead of toothed and curved, and the plant is not so dense and compact. Found on the California coast. (Plate XXXIII.)

Genus Spyridia

S. filamentosa. Fronds four to eight inches long; filaments as thick as bristles, irregularly and repeatedly branched; young branches show articulations and seem to be striped; all branches clothed with short, very delicate, transparent filaments, which give the plant a hazy appearance; color purplish-red, which becomes brown when dried; does not collapse when taken from the water. It grows in tufts below low-water mark, and is found in the drift on the beach from Cape Cod southward. (Plate XXXIII.)

Genus Ceramium

The pitcher-weed. This genus is easily recognized by the ends of the filaments, which are forked and incurved, resembling minute pincers or claws. The filaments are also more or less distinctly banded. It is widely distributed.

PLATE XXXI.
Callithamnion americanum, a piece magnified. Callithamnion seirospermum.
Callithamnion byssoideum, var. fastigiatum. Callithamnion floccosum.
PLATE XXXII.
Griffithsia Bornetiana. Ptilota serrata.
Ptilota serrata, magnified. Ptilota elegans.
PLATE XXXIII.
Ptilota densa. Ptilota hypnoides.
Ptilota hypnoides, magnified. Spyridia filamentosa.

C. rubrum, red ceramium. This is a very common and robust species, found everywhere, and growing on everything. It is variable in appearance, becoming quite coarse when old, the incurving, claw-like ends, which are characteristic of the genus, being less pronounced. It branches by repeated forking, and, under the microscope, shows a bark-like [pg093] layer of cells over the whole surface, which make the ring-like bands on the filaments less conspicuous.

PLATE XXXIV.
Ceramium rubrum, var. proliferum. Ceramium rubrum, top of frond magnified.
Ceramium diaphanum. Ceramium tenuissimum, var. patentissimum.

Variety proliferum. Fronds beset on all sides with simple or forked branchlets. (Plate XXXIV.)

Variety secundatum. Branchlets generally arranged on one side of the filaments, or secund.

C. strictum ("straight"). Brown or purplish-red filaments of hair-like fineness, growing in tufts two to six inches high, branching in narrow forks more and more closely as they reach the top of the frond. There are no principal branches, the filaments being of about the same diameter and regularly dividing in a forking manner throughout. The filaments are banded, the red rings being relatively very narrow. The white interstices at the base are several times longer than broad, but shorten gradually until at the top they are of equal length with the red bands. This species is common from Cape Cod to New York.

C. diaphanum. This species has comparatively stout leading branches, with secondary alternate branches which are finer than the main stems and divide in a forking manner throughout, and ultimately become very fine. The color is brown or purplish-red, distinctly banded. It grows on eel-grass and algÆ, and is found from Cape Cod to New York. (Plate XXXIV.)

C. fastigiatum. Filaments of hair-like fineness and of about same size throughout; branched in regular forking manner throughout, the divisions being wide and distant at the base, but gradually becoming closer and narrower as they reach the top; the upper segments about equal, giving a level top and regular outline in mounted specimens; the terminal forks erect, or less incurved than in other species; small points or branchlets emanate from some of the nodes or joints between the bands of color; tufts globe-shaped, two to five inches high; color lake-red. This species grows on mud-flats and mud-covered rocks as well as on algÆ and eel-grass.

C. tenuissimum. Fronds two to four inches high, densely tufted; the forked divisions very wide or open; color rose-pink.

Variety patentissimum. Fronds small; the forked divisions distant and very wide open. A mounted specimen appears somewhat like network. The species is common in Long Island Sound. (Plate XXXIV.)

Genus Microcladia

M. Coulteri. Cylindrical, slightly flattened main stem; branches set uniformly and alternately, short at the base, gradually lengthening as far as the center, and from there diminishing to the apex of the stem, giving a leaf-like outline. The same mode of branching and the same outline are repeated in the branches. The ultimate divisions are like forked divisions, and are somewhat incurved. The plant is six to eight inches high, and in color is of many shades of red and pink. It is found in abundance on the Pacific coast at all seasons. (Plate XXXV.)

M. borealis. Branches and branchlets placed on one side of arched main stems; secondary branches curved in opposite direction and bearing branchlets, also divided on one side only; color dark brown. It is found on the northern Pacific coast. (Plate XXXV.) [pg094]

ORDER CRYPTONEMIACEÆ

Suborder GLOIOSIPHONIEÆ

Genus Gloiosiphonia("Viscid tube")

G. capillaris. Frond six to ten inches high, solitary or in tufts; main stem cylindrical, solid above, hollow below; from about an inch above the base densely beset with short, wide-spreading branches arranged evenly and all around the stem; branches again branched in the same way; branches and branchlets attenuated at base and apex; soft, tender, juicy; shrinks much in drying. The species is easily recognized by its delicate gelatinous substance, tapering branchlets, and brilliant red color. It is found in early summer in tide-pools on the New England coast.

Suborder GRATELOUPIEÆ

Genus Halymenia

H. ligulata. Frond membranaceous, repeatedly and regularly divided in a forking manner; the larger divisions one half of an inch wide and growing very narrow at the top; four to five inches high, spreading in a fan-shape; color rose-red. It is found at Key West.

Genus Grateloupia

G. Cutleria. Frond coarse, flat, variable; either simple, long, and narrow, or short and broad, tapering at both ends, or blunt at the apex, or deeply cleft into many segments; sometimes with leaflets along the edges; height two to three feet; color reddish-brown; in fading, changes to purple and green, and may be variegated. When simple, the plant resembles IridÆa. Found on the northern California coast.

Genus Prionitis

P. lanceolata. Frond narrow, flat, smooth; leathery stems, which branch irregularly and sparingly from the edges; branches bordered with lance-shaped leaflets; color dark brownish-red; plant ten or more inches high, and varies considerably. (Plate XXXV.)

There are other species, among them P. Andersonii (Plate XXXVI.); all are easily distinguished by the lance-shaped leaflets. Common on the Pacific coast.

PLATE XXXV.
Microcladia Coulteri. Microcladia Coulteri, magnified.
Microcladia borealis. Prionitis lanceolata.
PLATE XXXVI.
Prionitis Andersonii. Pikea Californica.
Halosaccion ramentaceum. Polyides rotundus.
Suborder DUMONTIEÆ

Genus Pikea

P. Californica. Divisions of frond thick, narrow, cartilaginous; central axis one eighth of an inch to one inch wide, three to four inches high, thickly set with similar branches irregularly placed; all bordered [pg095] with numerous forward-pointing branchlets, which in turn have spine-like ramuli of various lengths; frond flat, broadly spreading; dark red. It is common at all seasons on the California coast. (Plate XXXVI.)

Genus Halosaccion

H. ramentaceum. Fronds brownish-purple, six to fourteen inches long, coarse and cartilaginous, cylindrical, hollow, compressed, attenuated at the base; more or less covered with simple or forked hollow branches half the size of the main stem. In exposed pools the plants are short and densely branched; in sheltered places they are larger and more delicate in texture. They are common on the northern New England and northern California coasts. (Plate XXXVI.)

Suborder RHIZOPHYLLIDEÆ

Genus Polyides

P. rotundus. Frond three to six inches high, cylindrical, cartilaginous, repeatedly forked, ends obtuse; spore-masses form numerous lighter-colored excrescences on the upper divisions of the frond; dark red. Common from New York northward, in deep pools and washed ashore. (Plate XXXVI.)

Suborder SQUAMARIEÆ

Genus Peyssonnelia

P. Dubyi. Frond completely adherent to the rock or stone on which it grows; color dark purple; somewhat calcareous; redder and thicker than next species. It is found at low-water mark or in deep water on the northern New England and northern California coasts.

Genus Petrocelis

P. cruenta. Frond closely adherent, forming dark-purple velvety patches of indefinite outline on rocks and stones. Common north of Cape Cod.

Genus Hildenbrandtia

H. rosea. Forms continuous pink incrustations of considerable extent on stones and rocks at low-water mark. Common everywhere.

Suborder CORALLINEÆ

The genera of this suborder are characterized by a calcareous or stony incrustation of the fronds, which gives them the appearance of corals. Most of the species are tropical. [pg096]

Genus Corallina("Coral-like")

C. officinalis, common coralline. Frond grows from a disk in tufts more or less dense. The plant is rigid, and seems like jointed, branched coral. The articulations are cylindrical at the base, wedge-shaped and flattened above. Branches emanate from the top of the articulations. The color varies from reddish-purple to gray-green, and is often bleached white when exposed to the sun. Common in tide-pools and on rocks at low-water mark from New York northward. (Plate XXXVII.)

Genus Melobesia

This genus will attract attention, although it cannot be gathered. It is a thin, brittle, scaly substance of indefinite form, which expands horizontally and resembles a lichen. It forms brown and pink crusts on other algÆ and on rocks, stones, and shells.

ORDER BANGIACEÆ

Genus Bangia

B. fusco-purpurea ("brown-purple"). Fine, hair-like, unbranched, dark-purple filaments, one inch to six inches long. It grows in large patches on rocks and woodwork, floating free, but falling into soft, silky, fleece-like masses when left by the tide. Common on northern shores. (Plate XXXVII.)

Genus Porphyra ("Purple dye")

This plant, except in color, is like the green alga Ulva. In color it is purple of various shades. The species are named from variations in the outline of the frond. They are found everywhere, and throughout the year. The plants are edible, being the laver of commerce, eaten principally by the Chinese, who make them into soup.

P. vulgaris. Frond a broad, thin membrane of purple color, three to twelve inches across; margin much waved; sometimes attached at the center, often widely expanded and folded, sometimes deeply lobed. (Plate XXXVII.)

P. laciniata. Differs from P. vulgaris in being divided into narrow segments or into wavy, ribbon-like forms. (Plate XXXVII.)

PLATE XXXVII.
Corallina officinalis. Bangia fusco-purpurea.
Porphyra vulgaris. Porphyra laciniata.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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