A study of the algae of the Gulf Coast of Texas
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Date
1938
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A search through all available literature reveals that other than the collections made by Saunders (1929-1931), Cheatum (1930), Clover (1932), and McAllister (1933), no study has been made of the marine algae occuring on the Texas coast. Other than two brief "lists" nothing has been published concerning the algal Flora of this region. This study of the marine algae from the Texas coast was undertaken during 1936-1938. During this time the author lived at Corpus Christi; consequently, most of the collections for this study were made in the Corpus Christi and Rockport vicinity. In order to secure a representative collection, occasional trips were made to most of the principal coastal points between Galveston and Brownsville. Visits to places other than Corpus Christi and Rockport were made as follows: Galveston (July, December, 1937), Texas City (July, December, 1937), Freeport (December, 1937), Palacios (July, August, 1937), Port Lavaca (June, July, August, 1937; April, 1938), Seadrift (April, 1938), Austwell (April, 1938), Port O'Connor (April, 1938), Port Isabel (May, 1938) and Boca Chica (May, 1938). At these localities various specimens of algae were collected, immediately placed in bottles, and later were identified. Identification of the collection, due to scarcity and inadequacy of the available literature, was quite difficult. Dr. W. R. Taylor of the University of Michigan kindly named the majority of the plants found. The others were classified by the writer who used the keys and descriptions given in Taylor's "Marine Algae of the Northeastern Coast of North America" and in Hoyt's "Marine Algae of Beaufort Harbor." The specimens of this collection which were named by Dr. Taylor and those of previous collections identified for Dr. F. McAllister by Dr. M. A. Howe and the Phycotheca Boraeli-Americana, volumes 30-45, were of considerable help in confirming the writers classifications