Il ; k.
dark violet-blaokisli ; sporos 1 -septato, ooloiiiioss; liymoiiial gelatine
not tinged with iodine.
From Pi/renidiimi, with which it is comparable, this differs in h.avin"'
the thallus pyrenopsoid and indet'irráinate; while from Verrucarina, to
winch It has some resemblance, it differs in the apothecia not presentin')-
a true pyrenium. The genus as yet includes only two species, of which
oue has been detected in Britaiu.
F M. a rg ilo sp ila Nyl. ex Cromb. Grevillea, xv. (1886) p. 10.
—Thallus scattered, subfurfuraoeous, very th in , olive-black. Apotheoia
innate, minute, peridium suffloiontly th in , v io lot-hlack;
spores 0,022—26 mm. long, 0 ,0 0 7 -0 mm. thick ; paraphyses slender,
sparingly present.— Verrucaria argilospila Nyl. Flora, 1874, p. 15.
Verrucaria arenicola Leight. Grov'illea, v. (1877) p. 155 ; Lich F l
ed. 3, p. 470.
The plant spreads extensively over the substratum in small, scattered
more or less distinct maculEO. In structure tlie thallus is densely and
miimtely cellular, each cell containing a minute subglohose gouimimn.
I he apothecia iii the specimens seen are iiimierous, aud are more conspicuous
where the thallus is semi-ohliterated.
JIub. On sandy and clayey soil in upland tracts.—Zhstr. Local and
scarce, m W . England; though it no doubt occurs elsewhere.—B. M. ;
Shelton Rough, near Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
Family I I . COLLEMACEI Nyl. Mém. Soo. Cherb. ii. (1854)
p. 8 ; Syn. i. p. 88 {cfr. Cromb. Grevillea, v. p. 76).
Thallus foliaceous, or frutioulose, or crustaceous, turgid and
gelatinous when moist, hlaok, brown, dark olive, leaden, rarely
glaucesoont; gonimia somewhat small, nakedly conjoined,’moniliform
; medulla no t distinct, b u t confused with th e gonimic layer.
Apotheoia most frequently leoanorine, occasionally biatorine, rarely
endooarpoid, hypothecium colourless; spores 8n», rarely numerous,
very raroly 4n®, ellipsoid, ovoid or fusiform, simple or septate, or
variously divided, colourless, very ra re ly brown. Spermogo’nes
usually with jo in ted sterigmata, occasionally w ith simple sterigmata
and short oblong spermatia. ’
This family, as now limited by Nylander, comprehends plants which in
most essential respects are more closely related to each other than those
referred to it in his previous classification. “ I t consists of a higher type of
lichens than the Ephebacei, being superior in structure, and for the
most part m figure, with the gonimic granules not or scarcely ever simple
but more or less (that is, two or several) moniliform (hormoo-onimia
JNyh). The thallus also, wlien moistened, is more turgid, and thoimh
still somewhat Algoid in external appearance, is almost always inimh
better developed.” In regard to the anatomical structure of the thallus
JNylauder, m his observations on “ gouidia &c.” (Flora, 1877, p. 359) has
pointed out that (in the higher genera at least) the whole thallus is to be
regarded as one syngoniniium. This syngouimium, he adds, in litt., originates
either from a single pniiiitive gonimium, or from the coalescence of
several gommia into one si ngonimic body.
Tribe I. L I C H I N E I Nyl. Mom. Soc. Cherb. ii. (1854) p. 8 ;
Syn. i. p. 88, Stiz. St. Gall. Nat. Ges. 1876, p. 193.
Thallus small, fruticulose or radiato-laoiniate, firm or fragile ;
gonimia clongato - seriatoly moniliform, subconnate. Apotheoia
small, lecanorine, lecideine or sub-biatorine, paraphyses slender or
thickish ; spores 8næ, ellipsoid, simple or septate. Spermogones
tuberculose, with simple sterigmata or jo inted sterigmata.
The principal characteristic of this tribe is to be found in the gonimia
being moniliformly arranged throngh long series. They are also much less
couuate than in Gonionema, so that the affinities of the tribe are rather with
this family. Of the four genera of whicli it is composed, only one is at
all common in Great Britaiu.
8. LICHINA Ag. Syn. Alg. ( I 8 I 7 ) p. x i i ; Tub Ann. Sc. Nat.
ser. 3, xvii. (1852) p. 8 7 ; Nj-1. Syn. p. 88.—Thallus frutioulose,
cartilaginous, diohoto-
mously branched, with in
parallclly lincari-oellu- ^
liir; gonimia arranged I
chiefly under th e cortical
layer, bluish or glancous-
hluish. Apothecia te r minal,
in globose thalline
receptacles, leoanorine;
spores simple, colourless;
paraphyses slender, not
crowded; hymenial gelatin
e no t coloured with
iodine. Spermogones
terminal, w ith simple
long sterigmata aud oblong
spermatia.
This small genus, though
fueoid in appearance, belongs
in all essential characters
to Lichens. The
few species of which it
consists are strictly social
in their habit, and often
extensively cover the otherwise
barren maritime rocks.
I t is in various respects
somewhat parallel among Lichina
the Collemacei to Sphmro-
phorus amongst the Li-
cheiuicei. The apothecia
are truly lecanorine, though
Fig. 5.
_ uea Ag.—a. Section of apothecium
(1) and of a spermogone (2), x30. b. Section
of thallus, X 200. c. Gonimia, x 350. if. Theca
and paraphysis, X 350. e. Two spores, X 500.
f . Sterigmata and spermatia, X500.
pyreuodean in appearance, while the spermogones are often situated
around them.