geastrum s t r ia t u m , s t r ia t e d g e a s t r um .
GEASTRUM striatum, minimum, volva septèm- vel octo-fida; peridio pcduncululo, globOso, ore acu-
minato, plicato. •. ,
GEASTRUM striatum. Decancl Fl. Fr. .eel. 3. vol. 2. p. 287. Fl. Gall. p. 55.
GEASTRUM nanum. Persoon in joiprn. de Bot. vol. 2. p. 27. t. 1 . f . 3,
GEASTRUM cöronatum/3. Woodwardu Pers. Sun. Fung. p . 132.
PLECOSTOMA nanum. Desvetux in Journ. de Bot. ml. 2; p. 100.
LYCOPERDON stellatum (2. minus. Woodw. in Linn. Trans, ml. 2.* ».. 58?
GEASTER asper, parvus, umbilico coronato, pediculo perbrevi donatus. Mich. Nov Gen Pi
t. 100. ƒ 2 ?
Glass and Order. CRYPTOGAMIA FUNGI.
[Natural Order. FUNGI. Linn. Fuss. Decand.]
Gen. Char. Volva persistens, demum.stellatim fissa, explanata vel reflexa. Peridium!globosuin.. Semina n
tissima, pulverifor
VoLvA septem-t vel octo-fida, coriaceo-membranacea,
supernefissuris su brugosa, rüfescens, inferne Ice vis,
subcinerea j ubi explanata, uncialis ad sesquiun-
cialem diametro; laciniis ovato-lanceolatis, ssepe
irregulariter fissis, demuih reflexis. ....
., fills intermixes.
Volva seven- or eight-cleft, between coriaceous and
membranaceous, above rough with clefts,reddish,
beneath smooth, subcinereous; when expanded,
an inch or an inch and a half in diameter; the
segments ovatb-fanceolate, often irregnlarly cleft,
a t length reflexed.
Head about the size of a hazel-nut, globose, pale brown,
darker at the apex,- smooth, membranaceous, on
a short footstalk; the mouth membranaceous,
acuminate, longitudinally plicated, brown.
Seeds numerous, very minute, mixed with simple, long,
flexuose filaments, Jig. 4, 5. magn. '
side, nat. size. _ Fig. 3. Mouth,of ditto, magn.
| Peridium nucis Coryli Avellanfe magnitudine, globo-
I . sum, pallide fuscum, apice saturatius; glabrum.
membranaceum,brevi-pedicellatum; ore membra-
naceo, acuminato, longitudinaliler plicato, fusco.
I Se m i n a numerosa, minutissima, filis simplicibus, longis,
flexuosis, immixtis, 'Jig. 4 ,5 . auc.t.
I Fig. 1 . Plants of Geastrum striatum. Fig. 2. Infer
I It will scarcely admit o f a doubt whether or not the Fungus here figured be the plant intended by Decandolle
E although he describes the moutli to be furnished with elongated cilice, Whilst in ours it is a plicated membrane much
I resembling the peristome of Diphyscium-foliosum (see the figure in Fl. Land, New Series). Persoon also quotes
I Decandolle’s synonym without hesitation, changing unnecessarily the specific name of striatum to the scarcely more
I applicable one of nanum; but giving at the same time a most excellent figure of i t ; ' •
I This author has referred under his G. nanum to the Lycoperdon stellatum 12. minus of Mr. Woodward in the
I LinneanTransactions-, but although the character there given corresponds very nearly with our own, and entirely
I as much so. as that of the Flora Gallica, we cannot persuade ourselves that so acute an observer would ever con-
• sitler the two plants as one and the same species: and unfortunately the work of Bryant on this family of Lvco-
Ipeijon, to which MrAVoodward refers for a figure admirably well expressed, we have never seen. We quote doubt-
| fully the synonym of M.icheli, because he describes the peridium as rough, which is smooth in our plant
I The species to which the present plant is most nearly allied is the &. rufescens figured in Schmidei’s leones
IT. 37. ƒ 11, 12, IS, and 14; and by Persoon in the Journal de Botanique, vol. 2. t. 2. f . 4 : and from both the
■ representations as well as the descriptions of the respective authors, they differ only in size and colour. In these
i two particulars our plant borders very closely upon the Lycoperdon recolligens o f Sowerby, t. 4 0 1 ; but that species
has the peridium sessile.. r
I the genus Geastrum, so well distinguished by the outer covering or volva bursting in a stellated manner, and
I “ f becoming horizontal and then recurved, was established by Micheli, though adopted but lately by Persoon.
—Of it Desv
>n the sandy Denes-r
s has, we think needlessly, made three genera.— Geastrum striatum has hitherto been found only
moe ""r Yarmouth, where it was first detected by Mr. D..Turner and Mr. Wigg.
GEASTRUM COLIEORME. PERFORATED
GEASTRUM, OR CULLENDER PUFF-BALL.
GEASTRUM colitbrme. Pers. &
t anS ^ um- Desvaux in Journ. de Bot. vol. 2. p. 103.1__
LYCOPERDON cohforme. Dicks.. P i. Crypt. Fasc. ml. 1. p. 25. t. 3. / . 4. Woodw. in Linn.
F T T N 'rm l 59‘ So™erby Engl. Fung. # .3 1 3 . Wit/i. Bot. Arr. ed. 4. vol. 4. p . 366.
r uinOUo pulverulentus coli instar perforatus. Raii Syn. p . 28. : -
striatum.
Among the largest species of this genus, jig . 1 . nat. size.;
Volva four or five inches in diameter, spread out, afterwards
reflexed, between coriaceous and membra-
, naceous,_ above brown, paler beneath, multifid;
the segments long, ovato-lanceolate, unequal in
width. . ' .
:Iead large, three inches in diameter, globose, <
pressed, dusky brown, minutely punctulated, above
perforated with numerous small orifices, which
e at the edge; placed on footstalks; the
footstalks numerous, short, slender, brown, rigid,"
often broken..
Seeds numerous, like dust, brown, mixed with short
flexuose fibres, Jig. 2. magn.