■55W
H E LM IS P O R IU M v e l u t i n u m .
Velvet Helmisporium.
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
Helmisporium velutinum aggregatoe,ejpisoe, suhramosoe, obtusoe, nigro-
olivaceæ; sporidiis pyriformibus S-4-septatis.
H. filaments aggregated, widely spreading, somewhat branched, obtuse,
olive-black; sporidia pyriform, marked by 3-4 divisions.
Helmisporium velutinum, Link, in Berl. Mag. v. 3. p. 10. t. 1. f. g.— Nees,
Syst. t. 5. f. 65. B.—Schmidt et Kunze, Deutschl. Schmaem. No. 74.
H e l m i n t h o s p o r iu m v e l u t i n u m , Pers. Mycol. Europ. 1 . p . 1 8 .
Hab. On dead branches of various trees. Woods about Edinburgh, in the
autumn.
Plant of a black or olive-black colour, spreading over dead branches. F ilaments
about h a lf a line or more in height, subsimple, sometimes a little
branched, obtuse at the apex, opake, slightly flexuose. Sporidia pear-
shaped, obtuse, subdiaphanous, divided by septæ into 4-5 loculaments.
Among all the specimens I examined (from the same branch),
I could not find any which were decidedly divided ; yet they
agree so well with H . velutinum in every other respect, that I
have little hesitation in referring them to that species: more
especially as I have also compared them with the plant published
by Doctors S c h m id t and K u n z e in their Beutsch-
lands Schwaemme.
Besides the preceding species, which I consider new, there
are only five others described by P e r s o o n in his M y cologia;
three of which are described by N e e s a b E s e n b e c k , one by
K u n z e , and one (the present species) by L i n k . There is
every reason to conclude they will be also discovered in this
country.
Fig. 2. a, H. velutinum, nat. size, b, Filaments, magnijied. c. Ditto, more
highly magnijied. c, Sporidia.