pachygyra (var. gracilis Allen ined.).. Plant slender, elongated, 15 to 20cm in height. Verticils consisting of 9-10 leaves, distant. Leaves much shorter than the internodes, the lower spreading; the upper fruiting ones connivent; articulations few, usually three, the two lower nodes bearing fruit, the upper sterile, the fertile nodes usually connivent while the subterminal internode is elongated and divergent. Stipules very slender and rather short; bracts slender, usually verticillate, much shorter than the sporangium, the anterior longer than the lateral, the posterior very small, sometimes wanting, the terminal bracts form, with the short terminal segment of the leaf, a triple tuft. Sporangia and antheridia usually duplicated on the two lowest nodes of the leaf. Sporangia large in comparison with the size of the plant, with about eight whorls on one side; coronula of short pointed somewhat divergent cells; altitude of cells of coronula in mature sporangia about 100 μ. Nucleus broadly oval, 480 to 520 μ. long, with five or six thick ribs.

This form differs in habit of growth from all other known varieties. It was gathered near Silver City, New Mexico, by Mr. Rushy in 1880, being found in only one pool. It occupies an intermediate position between var. Braunii tenera (Forma 1) and the large fruited forms from Pennsylvania and Kansas, which seem almost identical with the East Indian var. Coromandelina A. Br. Explanation of the plate; 1, a partial view of a verti

cil, showing the relative size and position of the stipules; 2, a front view of the first node of a leaf, showing at a the points of attachment of the antheridia which have been removed; 3, a lateral view of a second node, with a younger sporangium, showing the verticillate bracts; 4, another second node, with a very young sporangium; 5, the terminal segment of a leaf; 6, a ripe nucleus.

IV. Forma microcarpa, meioptila, verticillata, tenuior. This form was collected in California, at "King's river," by Berggren V

in 1875, and sent me by Professor Nordstedt. FIG. 4.—Chara coronata, The plant is slender and diffuse, and is inter

var. 4.

mediate between the extreme small-fruited unilateral forms and the medium-fruited verticillate ones. The bracts are verticillate,

the anterior shorter than the lateral, which about equal in length the sporangium; the coronula consists of short thick cells with a minute point, not at all developed as in Braunii tenera. Nucleus 425-500 long, with 6-7 angles.

We now come to a group of forms representing in a general way the ordinary var. Schweinitzii, though the transition from the short bracted and small fruited forms to the large bracts and large fruit, is gradual. The bracts subtending the sporangium vary in relative length, sometimes the anterior, sometimes the lateral bracts are longer. The form with long lateral bracts has been known as Chara foliolosa Schw., the one with shorter bracts but long leaves, as in Form III. as C. opaca Schw.

v. Forma macrocarpa, meioptila, verticillata, tenuior, leiopy

V...

X40

FIG. 5.-Chara coronata, 5th variety.

rena. Plant small, diffuse, with elongated leaves of 4-5 articulations; bracts usually verticillate, equal in length to or slightly longer than the sporangium, anterior bracts somewhat longer than the lateral, posterior often nearly as long as the lateral, rarely wanting. Sporangium with 9-11 whorls, coronula of divergent cells with rather long points, similar to Braunii tenera of New Mexico (Forma 1). Nucleus 640 long with 9-11 slightly prominent ribs. Saranac lake, N. Y., 1881.

In previous years Professor C. H. Peck, of Albany, collected specimens from precisely the same locality, and in 1860 I sent specimens to Professor A. Braun, who recognized it as a transition form between var. Braunii and var. Schweinitzii; the ac

companying drawings are taken from Professor Peck's speci

mens.

The bracts are shorter and unilateral, the nuclei smaller, 550 μ., but the coronula seems less elongated; whether the plant still continues to vary, remains for farther investigation to establish.

VI. Forma macrocarpa, macroptila, verticillata, laxior, leiopyrena. This very common northern form was collected in Canada by Professor Macoun; it is slender, diffuse, with long leaves of 4-5 articulations, verticillate bracts much longer than the sporangium, often two or three times its length, the anterior bracts longer than the lateral, the posterior large but much shorter. Nucleus precisely like the Saranac form (v), and about the same size, 620-650, ribs 9-10, scarcely prominent.

One collection of this form from the far west of Canada is completely incrusted with lime, and when dry is gray and very brittle; another from Eastern Canada has a peculiar zonular incrustation but usually the plant is perfectly smooth even in water containing considerable lime. The habit of growth varies exceedingly, some are delicate, diffuse and pellucid, others stout, thick, compact, and in deep water often attain a length of 4 to 5 feet (Litchfield lake, Ct.). This is our most common form, though the cells of the coronula are usually connivent, as in the next form, and the bracts may be unilateral on some nodes of the same plant.

VIII. Forma meiocarpa, meioptila, partim unilateralia, cellulis coronulæ sporangii conniventibus, condensata. Plants compact,

rather stout, verticils approximate; stipules large, inflated, equaling the leaves in size. Bracts inflated, about equal in length to the sporangium or somewhat shorter, mostly unilateral, sometimes verticillate; leaves with 5-6 nodes, the three lower usually

a form almost identical with this one, except that the leaves have only three nodes, the lower of which is fertile, the upper much elongated, and the bracts commonly verticillate and somewhat

narrower.

IX. Forma macrocarpa, microptila, verticillata. The plants belonging to this form are remarkable for the large size of the fruit