^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.
[Illustration: PLATE XXXI. Callithamnion americanum, a piece
magnified. Callithamnion seirospermum. Callithamnion byssoideum, var.
fastigiatum. Callithamnion floccosum.]
[Illustration: PLATE XXXII. Griffithsia Bornetiana. Ptilota serrata.
Ptilota serrata, magnified. Ptilota elegans.]
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