i*M
f.
T ■
, í (I
di
i
/ûâ
HETEROSPHÆRIA P a t e l l a .
Collapsed Heterosphoeria.
C l a s s a n d ü e d e i i CRYPTOGAMIA FUNGI, í ¡™ . _ N a x . O e d . H YPO X Y LA ,
Be Cand. Grev.
G EN ERIC CHARACTER.
Receptaculum O. Thecoe vel tubuloe spwuliferoe Jixoe, erecloe, persistentes, sphoerulis
coriaceis vel corneis indehiscentibus inclusæ.
Receptacle 0. Thecæ, or sporuliferous tubes, fixed, erect, persistent, inclosed
in coriaceous or corneous indéhiscent spherules.
S P E C IF IC CHARAC TER .
H e t e r o s p h æ r i a Patella.
S p h æ r i a PateUa, Rers. Syn. Fung. p. 76.—Moug. et Nestl. St. Exsicc. No. 485.
Hoolc. Fl. Scot. 2. p. 7.—Schwein. Syn. Fung. Carol. No. I 89.
S p h æ r i a ? Patella, Grev. Fl. Edin. p. 353.
S p h æ r i a nigra, Purt. Midi. Fl. v. 3. p. 489- {not o f v. 2. p. 710. or o f Sow.
t. 393. f. 1 .)
Had. On the dead stems of large herbaceous plants, especially the XJmbel-
liferoe. Autumn to spring. Very frequent.
Receptacle none. Spherules sessile, closely attached to the surface on which
they grow, black, coriaceous, subglobose, striate or even plicate towards
the summit, which, in very moist weather, is plane, but, when dry,
quickly becoming depressed, collapsed and concave, with a very rounded
margin. Centre not papillose, and not dehiscent. The interim- is
nearly filled with a gelatinous mass, terminated above with a stratum of
fixed sporuliferous, pellucid tubes or thecæ, which form a concave line
corresponding to the concavity of the spherule : when, however, in consequence
of moisture, the spherule is distended, there is a cavity produced
between the summits of the thecæ and the upper part of the spherule,
which explains the rapidity with which the spherule collapses when
the moisture is removed. The Sporules I have not observed, though the
tubes which no doubt contain them are very obvious.
I t is surprising to find, that, with a character so well
marked, how little the subject o f the present plate has been
noticed. I believe P e r so o n to have been th e first who de