Page:The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage.djvu/563

Falklands, etc.] 5. Sticta Billardieri, Delise, Monogr. Stict. p. 99. t. 8. f. 35. S. Richardi, nobis in Ft. Antarcl. Pt. 1. p. 198. {non Mont.)

Var. £. lobis thalli subter pallidioribus. S. divulsa, Tayl. in Lond. Joiirn. Bot. vol. vi. p. 182.

Hab. Clionos Arcliipelago ; C. Darwin, Esq.

A New Zealand and Tasmanian species, agreeing remarkably well with the figure and description of Delise, except in the under surface being more pale than is described by that author. It differs from S.faveolata, Debse, in the much longer and narrower lobes and paler under surface, and in the absence of the granulations on the upper. The apothecia are all marginal when young, deeply concave, the older in these specimens convex, with a very narrow margin : this convexity is not a character to which too much importance should be attached, because the apothecia of many allied species vary extremely on the same specimen, from concave to convex; and these differences do not in such species depend on age.

This is the S. Richardi of the first part of this work, but not of Montagne, the true S. Richardi having much broader lobes to the thallus, more or less rough or even scrobiculate on the upper surface, and almost wholly-smooth on the under. It is very nearly allied to the true S. carpoloma, but differs in the white cyphelhs, and like many others of the faveolate group it is possibly only a variety of S. damacornis.

We have specimens from the Chonos Archipelago, from Chiloe and the Island of Huaffa (on the coast of South Chili), agreeing entirely with one another in the (when dry) pale yellow-brown shining colour of the upper surface. The New Zealand and Lord Auckland's Island examples are rather paler : in all, the under surface of the lobes is naked and tawny yellow towards the apex.

6. SiiCTA.faveolata, Delise; Monogr. Stict. p. 101. t. 8. f. 36. Mont, in Voy. cm Pole Sud, Bot. Crypt, p. 186.

Hab. Strait of Magalhaens; Hombron.

We have thought it possible that what we have called S. Billardieri, Del., may be the S.faveolata of Montagne (in Voy. au Pole Sud); especially as that author makes no mention of the granular Hues on the upper surface so expressly alluded to by Delise (under S. carpoloma); and also from this S.faveolata of Montagne being found by the officers of the French South Polar Expedition, both in the Strait of Magalhaens and Lord Auckland's group. In the absence, however, of authentic specimens, and of any explanatory note by Montagne (whose specimens were very insufficient) on the species he calls S.faveolata, we are obliged to abide by the published figures of Delise.

The lacunose fronded Sticta with white soridia, forrn a most natural group of species, so inextricably confounded by nature, if they be really and truly species at all, that we have failed in discovering limits to the variations of any of them. Even the colour of the cyphella? is very unsatisfactory, there being, between the snow-white of the S. Billardieri and dirty yellow of some others, all intermediate tints; and in the same species, almost on the same specimen, of Tasmanian examples of S.faveolata (?), it is impossible to say whether the cyphellse are dirty white or pale yellow ; whilst other specimens, in all respects similar, have their colour well pronounced.

7. Sticta variabilis, Ach. ; Delise, Monogr. Stict. p. 119. 1. 11. f. 48. Mont, in Toy. au Pole Sud, Bot. Crypt, p. 185.

Hab. Strait of Magalhaens ; Jacquinot.

Possibly these specimens are referable to a state of that highly variable plant which we have referred to the S- Freycinetii, Del.

8. Sticta Thouarsii, Delise, Monogr. Stict. p. 90. t. 8. f. 29. S. scrobiculata, nobis in Lond. Journ. Bot. voLiii. p. 646 {non Ach.).