Rhody men i aceæ (rod i men i a see)

pl. [NL., Rhody men i a + -aceæ.] An order of florideous seaweeds of purplish or blood-red color. The root is disk-like or branched, much matted; the frond, which is composed of polygonal cells, is either leafy or filiform, and much branched, never articulate. The species are widely dispersed. Rhody men i a palmata, or dulse, is a well-known example. Many of the species of the genus Gracilaria are largely used in the East as ingredients in soups, jellies, etc., and as substitutes for glue. One of them is the agar - agar of the Chinese. rhœadic (re-ad'ik), a. [