GEASTRUM STRIATUM. STRIATED GEASTRUM.
GEASTRUM striatum, minimum, vólva sëptëm- vél octo-fida; peridio pedunculate, globosoj ore acu*
minato, plicato.
GEASTRXJM striatum. Decand. Fl. Fr. ed. 3. vo.l. 2. p. 287. FI. Gall. p . 55-.
GEASTRUM nanum; Persoon in Journ. de Bot. ml. 2. p. 27. t. \ . f 3.
GEASTRUM coronatum (3. Woodwardi. Pers. Syn, Fung. p. 132.
PLECOSTOMA nanum. Desvaux in Journ. de Bot. ml. 2. p. 100.
LY CO PÉRD O N stellatum /§. minus. Woodw. in Linn. Trams, ml. 2. p. 58 r*
G EASTER asper, parvus, umbilico coronato, pediCulö pérbi'évi donatus. M ic h Nov. Gen. PL
t, 100. f . 2 ? '
, . Class and Ord e r . CRYPTOGAMIA FU N G I.
. . [N atural Ord e r ; FU N G I. Linn. Juss. Decand:] ■
Gen. Char. Volva persistens, demum stellatim fissa, explanata vel reflexa. PeridiUm globosum. Semina minu-
tissima, pulveriformia, filis intermixtis.
Volva septem--vel octo-fida, coriaceo;membranacea,
supernefissuris subrugosa, rufescens, inferne ljevis,
subcinerea; ubi explanata, uncialis ad sesquiun-
cialem diametro; laciniisbvato-lancëolatis, saspe
irregulariter fissis, demum reflexis.
PERIDIUM. nucis. Coryli Avellanje magnitudiné, globo-
slim, pallide fuscum, apice saturatius, glabrum,
membranacèum, brevi-pedicellatum; ore membra-
naceo, acuminato, longitudinaliler plicato, fiasco.
Semina numerosa, minutissima; filis simplicibus, longis,
flexuosis, immixtis, Jig. 4, 5. auct.
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 ovato-lanceolate, often irregularly cleft,
at length reflexed.
Head about the size of a hazel-nut, globose, pale brown,
darker at the apex, smooth, membranaceous, oh
a short footstalk; the mouth membranaceous,
acuminate, longitudinally plicated, brown.
Seeds numerous, very minute, mixed with simple, long;
flexuose filaments, fig . 4 ,5 . magn.'
Fig. 1. Plants of Geastrum striatum. Fig. 2. Inferior side, nat. size. Fig. 3. Mouth of ditto, magn.
I t will. scarcely admit o f a doubt whether or not the Fungus here figured be the plant intended by Decandolle,
although he describes the mouth to be furnished with elongated cilice, whilst in Ours it is a plicated membrane, much
resembling the peristome of Diphyscium foliosum (see the figure in Fl. Lond. New Series'). Persoon also quotes
Decandolle’s synonym without hesitation, changing unnecessarily the specific name of striatum to the scarcely more
applicable one of nanum; but giving a t the same time a m ost excellent figure of it.
This author has referred under his G. nanum to the Lycoperdon stellatum (3. minus of Mr. Woodward in the
Linnean Transactions; but although the character there given corresponds very nearly with our own, and entirely
as much so as that of the Flora Gallica, we' Cannot persuade ourselves that so acute an observer would ever consider
the two plants as one and*the same species: and unfortunately the work of Bryant on this family of Lycoperdon,
to which Mr.Woodward refers for a figure admirably well expressed, we have never seen. We quote doubtfully
the synonym of Micheli* because he.describes the peridium as rough, which is smooth in our plant.
The species to which the present plant is most nearly allied is the G. rufescens figured in Schmidel’s leones,
t. 37. f . T l, 12, 13, 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
two particulars our plant borders very closely upon the Lycoperdon recolligens of Sowerby, t. 4 01; but that species
has the peridium sessile.
The genus Geastrum, so well distinguished by the outer covering or volva bursting in a stellated manner, and
the rays becoming horizontal and then recurved, was established by Micheli, though adopted but lately by Persoon.
—Of it Desvaux has, we think needlessly, made three genera.— Geastrum striatum has hitherto been found only
on the sandy Denes near Yarmouth, where it was first, detected by Mr. D . Turner and Mr.Wigg.
GEASTRUM COLIFORME. PERFORATED
GEASTRUM, OR CULLENDER PUFF-BALL.
GEASTRUM coliforme, volva multifida; peridio globoso depresso, perforato, pedunculate; pedunculis
numerosis gracilibus. •
GEASTRUM coliforme. Pers. Syn. Fung. p. 131.
MYRIOSTOMA anglicum. Desvaux in Journ. de Bot. vol. 2. p. 103.
LY CO PERD O N coliforme. Dicks. PI. Crypt. Fasc. vol. 1. p. 25. t. 3. f . 4. JVoodw. in Linn.
■ Trans, vol. 2. ƒ>. 59. Sowerby Engl. F ung: A 313. With. Bot. A rr. ed. 4. vol. 4. p . 366.
FUNGUS pulverulentus coli instar perforatus. Jlaii Syn. p. 28.
Class, Order, N atural Order, and Gen . Char. ■ Vide Geastrum striatum.
Inter maximas species hujusce generis, fig . I . magn. nat.
Volva diametro quadri- vel quinque-uncialis, explanata,
demum reflexa, coriaceo-membranacea, supra
rufescens, infra pallïdiör, multifida, laciniis longis,
ovato-lanceolatis, latitudine ineequalibus.
Peridium magnum, diametro subtriunciale, globoso-
compressum, umbrinum, punctulatum, superne
orificiis numerosis parvulis integerrimis perlusum;
pedunculatum; pedunculis brevibus, numerosis,
gracilibus, fuscis, rigidis, stepe disjunctis.
Semina numerosa, pulveriformia, fusca, fibris brevibus,
flexuosis, immixtis, f g . 2. auct. ■
The first account we have of this remarkable Fungus
Among the largest species of this genus, f g . 1. nat. size.’
Volva four or five inches in diameter, spread out, after-
Avards reflexed, between coriaceous and membranaceous,
above brown, paler beneath, multifid;
the. segments long, ovato-lanceolate, unequal- in
" ' width:
Head large, three inches in diameter,-globose, compressed,
dusky brown, minutely punctulated, above
perforated with numerous small orifices, which
are entive 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, f g . 2. magn. .
i Ray’s Synopsis (for the synonym of Tournefort there
quoted has surely nothing to do with it), where it is said to have been found by S. Doody in September 1695,
the lane that leads from Crayford to Bexley in Kent, and at Hampton Court, below the house near King Henry’s
Gate, by Merret. Dickson next described and figured it from specimens found by Messrs. Stone and Woodward ;
but it is to the last-mentioned gentleman that we are indebted for an excellent account, not only of this, but -of all