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well-defined sporangial wall in the component sporangia forming
an aethalium is what would be expected from analogy, and
in the present genus tbe external covering of the aethalium, the
cortex, consists of sterile sporangia, showing a division of labour
as is often tbe case in various parts of tbe vegetable kingdom,
wlien originally isolated structures become concentrated, as
illustrated by the ray and disc florets in composite plants. Tbe
cortex is very friable, and consists largely of flake-like masses
of lime, and in some cases the cortex is quite rudimentary.
Distrib. Europe; United States; Cuba; Venezuela; S. Africa;
Ceylon; W. Australia; N. Zealand. Species 5.
Fuligo varians, Rost. (figs. 190—192).
Aethalium usually large, either naked, witb the surface more
or less venous, or covered witb a cortex which is either smooth
and continuous, or friable with flakes of lime, clear yellow,
brownish, or greyisb-wbite; capillitium abundant, forming an
irregular network, with large irregularly branched nodes filled
with minute granules of yellow- or white lime; spores globose,
pale lilac-brown, smooth, 7—11 g diameter.
Fuligo varians, Rost., Mon., p. 134; Cooke, Myx. Brit., p. 23;
Zopf, p. 149.
Fidigo séptica, Saco., Syll, vii., 1, n. 1228.
Aethalium sep>tieum, Cooke, Hdbk., n. 1101.
Aethalium vaporarium, Cooke, Hdbk., n. 1102.
Exsiee.—Roum., Fung. Gall., 1678; Rabh., Fung. Eur., 81;
Thum., Fung. Austr., 523; Saoc., Myo. Ven., 963; Karst., Fung.
Fenn., 379; Kunze, Fung. Sel., 298; Fuckel, Fung. Rhen.,
1472; Desm., Crypt. France, Ser. I., n. 1844.
Amongst dead leaves, and amongst tan in greenhouses, on
rotten wood, &c. Britain (Highgate, Kew, Hereford, Scarboro’,
Appin, N. B.); S. Africa; India; W. Australia; New Zealand;
United States; Cuba; Bolivia.
Very variable in size, form, and colour; in the plasmodium
condition often occurring amongst dead leaves as a bright
yellow soft moss, and hardening into yellow, crust-like patches,
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varying from one to eight or ten inches across, and nearly one
inch thick. Tbe cortex is usually bright yellow and very brittle,
sometimes whitish; the lime of the capillitium also varies from
bright yellow to white; spores in the mass blackisb-brown.
(Rostafinski’s Synonyms.)
Eponge, March., 427, t. 12 (1727).
Mucilago aestiva, Mich., t. 96, f. 1 (1729).
liwores, Gled, p. 138, 160 (1753).
Ihicor unctuosus flavus, Huds., FI. Ang.
Mucor septixus. Link, Sp. PL, n. 1656 (1753); FL Dan., t.
778 ; Bolt., t. 134.
Mucor primus ovatus, Schff., t. 192 (1765).
Alueor lertius, Schff., t. 194 (1763).
Fuligo, Hall, n. 2183, 2134, 2136 (1768).
Mucor mucilago. Scop., FL Cam., ii., 1638 (1772).
Lycoperdon Inteimn, Schr., FL Bav., ii., 629 (1789).
Eeticularia carnosa, Bull., t. 424, f. 1 (1791).
Eeticularia hm'tensis, Bull., t. 424, f. 2 (1791).
Eeticularia lutea. Bull., t. 380, £ 1 (1791).
Fidigo séptica, Gmel., Sys., 1466 (1'791).
Fuligo candida, Pers,, Obs., i., 154 (1796).
Fuligo vaporaria, Pers., Obs., L, 155 ; FL Dan., t. 1363, f. 1.
Fidigo flava, Pers., Disp., p. 8 (1797).
Fuligo rufa, Pers., Disp., p. 8 (1797).
Fuligo pallida, Pers., Obs., ii., 36 (1799).
Fidigo laevis, Pers., Syn,, p. 161 (1801).
Fuligo violaeea, Pers., Syn., 160 (1801); Ic. Piet., t. 1.
Eeticularia séptica. With. Arr., iv., 463 (1801) ; Purt., p. 703.
Eeticularia ovata, var. Witb. Arr,, iv., 463 (1801).
Fuligo flaveseens, Schum,, SaelL, 1413 (1803).
Fuligo cerea. Sow., t. 399 (1803).
Aethalium flavum. Link, Diss., i., 42 (1809); Nees., f. 92;
Grev., S. 0. FL, t. 272.
Fuligo eerebrina, Brondeau, p. 74, t. 3, f. 1—4 (1824).
Fuligo varians, Somm., FL Lapp., p. 231 (1826).