BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB VOL. 91, No. 1, pp. 35-46 JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1964 A synopsis of the Characeae' R. D. Wood Department of Botany, University of Rhode Island, Kingston WOOD, R. D. (Botany Dept., Univ. Rhode Island, Kingston). A synopsis of the Characeae. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 91: 35-46. 1964.—A synopsis to the species of Characeae as delimited in the manuscript of the forthcoming monograph on Characeae of the world is presented. The bases for the author's revised classification issued in Taxon 11: 7. 1962, are revealed, and 81 species are recognized. The illegitimate name Nitella gelatinosa is replaced by Nitella tamanica, and the new subsp. gelatinifera is established. The most recent synopsis to the Characeae of the world was one by Nordstedt which appeared in "Fragmente einer Monographie der Chara- ceen " (Braun & Nordstedt, 1882: 8-25) as " Clavis synoptica characearum," and which was later translated from Latin to English and augmented with special reference to North American taxa by T. F. Allen (1888: 38-64). The present treatment is taken with but slight modification from the un- published manuscript for the "Monograph of the Characeae" which con- stitutes Part I of the "Revision of the Characeae" (Wood, R. D., and K. Imahori. m ed. Revision of the Characeae. Part I. Monograph of the Chara- ceae by R. D. Wood ; Part II. Iconograph of the Characeae by R. D. Wood and K. Imahori). The manuscript of the monograph was completed in June 1959, but publication has continued to be delayed. In order to release the more critical findings, certain parts are being reported in advance. The first, an outline of the revised classification system and nomenclature, was issued in 1962 (Wood, 1962). The present article is the second to be issued in advance of the monograph, and it presents a synopsis indicating the major readily evident features by which the writer subdivides the taxa. It is 1 Supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Received for publication October 30, 1963. 35 91 36 BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB [ Vol.. intended to reveal the system of classification, and is not designed as a tool for identification. Both synopses of the present type and analytical keys appear in the forthcoming "Revision." The concept of the species has plagued phycologists for years. One answer, that of continued finer subdivision into even smaller and smaller species, has been carried to extreme in various groups. It has caused exten- sive proliferation of taxa in the Characeae. Another alternative, one em- ployed on a limited scale by both Alexander Braun (1834: 355; 1867: 907; e.g., C. foetida) and Groves and Groves (1911, e.g., C. zeylanica), is that of using broad species. Nordstedt (1882: 13) cited these as "sensu latis- sime" taxa. The present author concludes that this is the more realistic concept, and has employed it throughout his revision. Thus, there are but 81 species, rather than the earlier 314 (Wood & Imahori, 1959), included in the synopsis. More narrowly delimited taxa (species of earlier workers) are assigned to lower ranks. Those which retain some consistency over cer- tain areas are assigned to varieties or, in occasional complex cases where several infraspecific taxa exist, to subspecies; whereas, those which are distinguishable primarily by single traits or by recombinations of char- acters are retained only as forms. The infraspecific taxa are treated in detail in the author's "Revision," but it is anticipated that the need for the formae will not support their retention in the future. The arrangement of the synopsis may be self-evident, but note that (1) Roman numerals head entries for taxa of or above the rank of genus (e.g., "IA. Tribe I, Chareae") and Arabic numbers head infrageneric taxa (e.g., "la. subgen. Chara"; or "6a. Chara globularis"). Two numbers immedi- ately precede each taxon name, the first indicating positioh within the next encompassing category, and the second (in parentheses) indicating sequen- tial position for that taxon within the entire synopsis. Distribution is sug- gested by the abbreviations in brackets in order and as follows : cosm (cosmopolitan), Eu (Europe), Af (Africa), As (Asia), Aust (Australia), Oc (Pacific Oceania), NA (North and Central America), and SA (South America). Certain popular synonyms are included in parentheses after the new names (Wood, 1962) of higher taxa. IA. Coronula of 5 cells in 1 tier ; coronula large; branchlets undivided, with 1-celled laterals (bract-cells) ....................................................... Tribe 1(1) CHAREAE HA. Stipulodes developed (occasionally rudimentary) ; bract-cells normally 4-more at a node and including both anteriors and posteriors; branchlet segments 3-more; plant with or without cortication; bulbils unusual, 1-celled, only known in corticated species; coronu- lar cells elongate, narrowing distally ......................... Subtribe I(1) CHARINAE IIIA. With or without cortication; stipulodes in 1-2 tiers, 1-2 (-4) per branehlet (if 1, then alternate—rarely opposite) ; monoe- cious or dioecious; conjoined gametangia borne on antheridial stalk, thus with oogonium above antheridium (in dioecious species antheridium replaced by bractlet which subtends oogonium) ......................................................................... Genus I(1) CHARA 1964] WOOD: A SYNOPSIS OF THE CHARACEAE 37 la. Stipulodes essentially in 2 tiers, one or both of which may be reduced .................................. Subgen. 1(1) CHARA (Diplostephanae) 2a. Axial cortex essentially 2-corticate .......................................... .................................................. Sect. 1(1) CHARA (DiplOStiChae) 3a. Spine-cells solitary or rarely geminate ... Subsect. 1(1) CHARA 4a. Robust; axis 1000-2200 p. in diameter; bract-cells verticillate, inflated; antheridia 640-1425 12 in diameter; mature oospore 760-900 IA long; generally dioeeious ................................. ............................. 1(1) Chara tomentosa [Eu, Af, As] 4b. More slender; axes 200-1100 p, in diameter; bract-cells generally unilateral, slender (or ovoid when small) ; antheridia to 600 (-800) p, in diameter; mature oospores 360-780 p. long ............................. 2(2) Chara vulgaris [cosm] [C. pseudohydropitys [As] has naked basal branchlet cell—see 10b.] 3b. Spine-cells predominantly fasciculate, rarely solitary or geminate; monoecious ........ Subsect. 2(2) HARTMANIA .......................................... 1(3) Chara hispida [Eu, Af, As] [3e. Four taxa which may be difficult to place include the ecorticated form of C. socotrensis f. nuda [As], two with imperfect cortication C. vulgaris var. denudata [Eu, Af, As] and var. invert ecta [Eu, Af, As], and one 2-cortieated taxon in which the cortex resembles a 3-corticated one in appearance, C. globularis f. Capensis [Af].] 2b. Axial cortex essentially 1-corticate (occasionally second- aries partly developed) ............................. Sect. 2(2) DESVAUXIA ..................................... 1(4) Chara eaneseens [Eu, Af, As, NA] [Taxa with imperfect cortex belonging elsewhere include C. vulgaris vars. inconnexa, denudata, and imperfeeta (4b), and C. tomentosa var. disjuneta (4a).] 2e. Axial cortex essentially 3-corticate .......................................... .......................................... Sect. 3(3) GROVESIA ( Triplostichae) 5a. Phloeopodous (i.e., cortex of basal branchlet segment normal) ........................................................................... Subsect. 1(3) GROVESIA (Phloeopodes; Phloeobasalia) 6a. Bract-cells small to fairly large, rarely as long as branchlet segments, slender; axes to 1000 p, in diameter .................... 1(5) Chara globularis [cosra] 1 6b. Bract-cells large, c. 1 /2 times as long as branch- let segments, stout; axes c. 1500 1.1, in diameter .................................. 2(6) Chara globata [As] 5b. Cortex of basal branchlet segment present, but dis- tinctively discolored or diaphanous ....................................................... Subsect. 2(4) KuErziNotik. ...................................................... 1(7) Chara setosa [Af, As] 5e. Gymnopodous (i.e., cortex absent on basal branchlet segment) .............................................................. Sub- sect. 3(5) WILLDENOWIA (Gymnopodes; Gymnobasalia) . 1(8) Chara zeylanica [Af, As, Aust, 0e, NA, SA] [C. pseudohydropitys [As] has 2-corti- cated axis, see 10b.] lb. Stipnlodes essentially in 1 tier ............................................................ ...................................... Subgen. 2(2) CHAaorsis (TIaplostephanae) 38 BULLETIN OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB [ VOL. 91 7a. Totally ecorticate ....................... Sect. 1(4) CHAROPSIS (Ecorticatae) 8a. Branchlets with terminal corona of reduced bract-cells; stipulodes and bract-cells well formed; game- tangia absent from base of whirl; monoe- cious ................................. 1(9) Chara braunii [nearly cosm] 8b. Branchlets with either a terminal mucro or corona ; stipulodes and bract-cells generally rudimentary; gametangia at either base of whorl and/or at branchlet nodes; monoecious or dioecious ......... ................................. 2(10) Chara corallina [ Af, As, Aust, Oc] Sc. Branchlets with terminal mucro, but not a corona ; stipulodes and bract-cells rudimentary ; game- tangia absent from base of whorl; monoe- or dioecious ................... 3(11) Chara socotrensis [Af, As]i 7b. Axes corticated ............................ Sect.