i
beauty among themselves, and are doubtless as admirably fitted
to fulfil the ends for which they were designed, as the most
noble, or, as L i n n æ u s has called them, the princes of the
same kingdom to which they belong. The subject of the present
plate is very conspicuous, even at some distance, from its
beautiful colour.
The genus Polystigma is a small one, containing only two
additional species, both of which are found in Great Britain,
VIZ.
V./ulvum; plane; colour pale fulvous. Pers. in Moug. et Nestl. No. 271.
H a b . On the leaves of the Prunus Padus.
p. typhinum ; pale yellow-orange, investing the culms of living grasses. De
Cand. Mém. du Mus.^ d'Hist. Nat. v. 3. Sphæria typhina, Pers. Syn.
Fung. p. 29— Sphæria spiculifera. Sow. Fung. t. 274. (incorrect.)
The last, though it does not entirely accord with Polystigma,
yet agrees still less with any other known genus. I therefore
foUow D e C a n d o l l e , who has shown considerable acuteness
in referring it to this place. Some authors regard P.fidvum
as a variety of P . rubrum. This may be correct ; but until I
have examined the former more minutely, I cannot help regarding
them as distinct.
Ill
I ’ :
Iri'i il
i i . ii ■
Fig. 1. Polystigma rubrum, nat. size on Prunus spinosa. Fig. 2. Plants, mag.
nified. Fig. 3. A plant more highly magnijied. Fig. 4. A horizontal sec-
tign. Fig. 5. A vertical section. Fig. 6. Sporules.