(ßto £ 4 ^ 4 3 *
L I C H E N fphserocephalus.
Black Pin-headed Lichen.
C R T P T O G A M I A Alge.
Gen. Char. Male, fcaltered warts.
Female, fmooth fhields or tubercles, ln which the
feeds are imbedded.
Spec. Char. Cruft leprous, yellowifh. Tubercles on
black footftalks, globofe, dark grey, ditcharging
black powder intermixed with fibres.
Syn Lichen fphaerocephalus. Weh. Gott. 198.
Mucor lichenoides. Linn. Sp. PI. 1655. Relh. Cant.
473. With. Bot. Arr. v. 3. 483.
Trichia lichenoides. Sibth. Ox. 406. With, Bot. Art.
ed. 3. v. 4. 399.
Clathrus cinereus. Hudf. FI. An. 631.
Coralloides fungiforme arboreum nigrum, vix crufto-
fum. Dill. Mufc. 78. t. 14. ƒ. 3.
I n the clefts of the bark of old oaks this little plant may be
found at almoft all feafons, but is mod confpicuous after rain.
Cruft leprous, very thin and much difperfed, of a yellowifh
or greenilh colour, and probably overlooked as Byjfus candelaris
by molt writers, who have defcribed as a fungus what are the
genuine tubercles of this Lichen, and which rife from the cruft
on flender black ereft ftalks, feldom one line in height, them-
felves being fmaller than wild-poppy feed, globular, grey or
blackilh, generally folitary, but we have found 2, and Haller 3,
on one ftalk. In due time thefe tubercles burft at the fummit,
and throw out black powdery feeds mixed with fibres, in which
refpedt this fpecies agrees with Lichen fragilis and globiferus already
figured in the 2d volume of the prefent work.
Lichen fpharocephalus was firft fo named by Weber, who con-
fiders it as Mucor fphcerocephalus as well as M. lichenoides of Lin-
nasus. Dillenius knew it well, and has juftly arranged it near
our Lichen byjjoides, t. 373’ which it is in many refpefts allied.
In writing our account of the latter we were not aware of the
Lichen now before us being placed by Mr. Hudfon in his very
incorreft genus of Clathrus.
The reader is requefted to correft an error in p. 373,1. 19 ;
the quotation of Dillenius ought to be 1. 14. ƒ. 4.