68 BRITISH DISCOMYCETES. 



Mossburnford (Mr. Jerdon). Brockley Combe, Bristol 

 (Mr. C. Bucknall). Near Shrewsbury ! 



34. Peziza coronaria. Jacq. 



Cup at first buried, then more or less exposed, sub- 

 globose, splitting in a stellate manner, nearly violet or 

 rosy, externally pallid ; stem short, thick, rooting ; asci 

 cylindrical ; sporidia 8, elliptic, 1 to 2-guttulate, smooth, 

 15 18x8 9//; paraphyses straight, linear, slightly 

 enlarged above, sometimes forked. 



Peziza coronaria Jacq., " Misc. Austr.," i. p. 140, 

 pi. 10, 1778 ; Cooke, " Mycogr.," f. 238 ; Pat., p. 32, f. 77. 

 Peziza amplissima Fries, " Summa Veg. Scan.," p. 349. 

 Peziza eximia D. R. and Lev., " Flo. Alger.," t. 28, f. 9. 

 Peziza geaster Rabh., " Myco. Eur.," t. 3, f. 5. Peziza 

 macTOcalyx Smith in " Journ. Bot.," 1869, p. 345, t. 98 ; 

 Cooke, "Handbk.," No, 1981; Kalch., "Icon. Select.," 

 t. 40, f. 2. ^Peziza sicula Inzenga, "Fung. Sici.," t. viii. 

 f. 4. Aleuria eximia Gill., "Champ.," p. 48, c. i. 



On the ground under trees. Spring. 



It is found underground, in forests of fir-trees, singly 

 or from two to five together. In its progressive develop- 

 ment it rises about half out of the ground. At first it is 

 closed, but later it splits, star-like, from the top down- 

 wards to the middle of its cup, or sometimes even further 

 down still, into from 7 to 10 more or less pointed strips. 

 The exterior is of a dirty pale blue, clothed with a thin 

 white transient fur, and at the base of the cup is a short 

 stem. In large specimens the cup is three inches high 

 and broad, deeply cup-shaped, with the rim at length 

 bent downwards. The hymenium is at first pale, and 

 later a dark violet (Fresenius). 



" Cups very large, 4 or 5 inches when expanded ; asci 

 very long ; sporidia uniseriate in the upper portion of the 

 ascus, with one or two nuclei. After having been dried 

 and then again moistened, the nuclei give the sporidia 

 the appearance of being uniseptate. It was doubtless 

 this illusion which led to the sporidia of Peziza eximia, 

 in " Flora d'Algerie," being represented as uniseptate. 



