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and combined laterally to form a flaccid, irregular n e t; spores
globose, smooth, pale dingy lilac, 10—11 g diameter.
(Type in Herb., Kew.)
On moss. W. Africa (Niger Expedition, Barter).
A very beautiful and distinct species, known at once by tbe
snow-wbite sporangium, stem, and columella, and tbe smooth
spores. Plant 3 mm. high; stem 2'5 mm. high, sporangium
•5 mm. high, a little more in diameter.
B. Sporangium sessile.
(In D. spumarioides and D. physarioides, a very short stem is
sometimes present.)
Didymium Alexandrowiczii, De Bary and Eost.
Sporangia sessile, deformed, not truncate, several often collected
in little clusters, rugulose, granulose; columella absent; threads
brownish, colourless at both ends, simple or bifurcating and
laterally connected; spores smooth, obscure violet, 10—12 g
diameter.
Didymium Ghondroderma, De Bary and Eost., in Alex. Stroz.,
p. 89.
Ghondrioderma Alexandrowiczii, Rost., Mon., p. 109, f. 176;
Sacc., Syll., 1253; Cooke, Myx. Brit., f 176.
On wood, Britain (Kew); Poland.
Didymium spumarioides, Fr.
Sporangia substipitate or sessile, scattered or densely crowded
on a well-developed, white or pale flesh-coloured hypothallus containing
much lime; wall of sporangium white or grey, crust of
lime pulveruleni; columella variable, smooth or irregularly
rugulose, white or pale flesh-colour, sometimes almost obsolete ;
threads of capillitium about equal, I'o—2 g thick, repeatedly
bifurcating and connected laterally to form a net, colourless or
dingy lilac, spores globose, minutely warted, 9—12 g diameter.
Didymium spumarioides, Fr., Symb. Gast., 20.
Chondrioderma spumarioides, Rost., Mon., p. 173, f. 142—145,
151; Cooke, Myx., p. 38, f. 142—145, 151; Schroeter, p. 123
Saco., Syll., n. 1269.
Ghondrioderma stromateum, Rost., Mon. Append., p. 18, f. 151
Diderma farinaceum. Peck, 26th Report State Mus., N. Y.
p. 74.
Exsicc.—Fckl., F. Rhen., 2495 (as Careerina spumarioides
F r.); Rab., F. Eur., 432 (as Garcerind spumarioides, E r.); Cke,
F. Brit., Ed. IL, 825; Roum., Fung. Gall,, 1682.
On living or dead leaves, moss, &c.
Britain (Highgate, Shere, Scarboro’) ; France; Germany
Sweden; Belgium; Italy; United Sta te s; Australia.
The present species was placed by Rostafinski in the genus
Chondrioderma, from which it differs, according to our interpretation
of the genus, in the pulverulent, instead of porcelainlike
coat of lime. Very variable in colour and size of tbe
columella, but well marked by the highly-developed hypothallus,
which sometimes becomes so thick as to suggest the
idea of a stroma. Sporangia from '5—I'o mm. diam., circular
or irregularly angular from mutual pressure, sometimes tbe
stroma, wben very thick, forms a short stem-like projection;
the colour of the stroma and columella varies from cbalk-wbite
through pale tints to pale flesh-colour.
(Rostafinski’s Synonyms.)
Spumaria physarioides, Pers. Syn., 163 (1801).
Physarum didermoides. Fries, Herb.
Spumaria alba, Schum, Saell., No. 1414 (1803); FI. Dan.,
t. 1798, f. 2.
Didymium spumarioides, Fr., Symb. Gast., 20 (1818).
Physarum stromatium, Link, Hdbk., iii., 409 (1833).
Careerina spumarioides, Fr., S. V. S., 451 (1849).
Diderma spumarioides, Fr., S. M., iii., p. 104; Eng. FL, vol. v.,
p. 311; Cke., Hdbk., No. 1109.
Didymium physarioides, Rost.
Sporangia cylindric-oblong, often crowded and deformed,
seated on a well-developed hypothallus, sessile or witb a short