Durand : Classification of the Fleshy Pezizineae 479 



thecium and excipulum are quite easily distinguishable, although 

 shading gradually into each other. The hypothecium is composed 

 of small pseudo-parenchymatous cells, 7-12// long, with thin walls. 

 Those immediately beneath the asci are somewhat rounded, but 

 the remainder show an elongation in a radial direction. The layer 

 fades out toward the margin of the cup. 



The excipulum consists of larger thin-walled cells, 40-50 /i in 

 diameter. At the base of the cup they are somewhat vesiculose, 

 and the walls have a brownish shade, with a tendency toward be- 

 coming thickened. The excipulum is produced at the sides so as 

 to form a distinct margin to the cup. The marginal cells are 

 smaller and narrower, and somewhat elongated. The external 

 hairs are simply prolonged, thick-walled excipular cells. The pili 

 may arise from any part of the excipulum, but their origin is usu- 

 ally deep seated, often being well in toward the hypothecium. 



Phaeopezia fuscocarpa (E. & H.) Sacc. differs from Lachnea 

 only in its dark spores, and agrees with it in the whole structure 

 of its sterile tissues, which are pseudo-parenchymatous throughout. 



Sarcosphaera sepulta (Fries) Schroet. 



The plants of this genus are first spherically closed and buried 

 in the ground. Later they split in a lobulated manner, becoming 

 cup-shaped. The sterile layers of 5. sepulta are pseudo-parenchy- 

 matous throughout. The cells increase gradually and uniformly 

 in size from the hymenium to the outer surface, where the cells 

 are brownish and give rise to the pili. 



Neottiella nivea Romell. 



The genus Neottiella differs from Lachnea in having the external 

 hairs pure white instead of brown. In N. nivea the whole sterile 

 tissues are pseudo-parenchymatous throughout, except at the sur- 

 face where they give place to one of coarse hyphae closely inter- 

 woven. The latter give rise to the hairs which are long, linear, and 

 septate, with thin, white walls. The cells of the pseudo-parenchyma 

 are rounded or polygonal, 1 5-30 fi in diameter, and thin walled. 



Sphaerospora confusa Cooke 



Sphaerospora differs from Lachnea in having spherical spores. 

 5. confusa has a thick, pseudo-parenchymatous excipulum, com- 



