284 BRITISH DISCOMYCETES. 



GENUS XII. PIROTT.EA. SACCARDO. 



Cup superficial, or between erumpent and superficial, 

 sessile, scutellate, nearly carbonaceous, black, clothed 

 with short rigid bristles ; asci 8-spored ; sporidia oblong, 

 continuous, hyaline. (Plate VIII. fig. 52.) 



The habit of Pyrenopezizce, but setulose (Sacc. in 

 " Mich.," i. p. 424. 



Name After R. Pirotta. 



Only one British species. 



Pirottcea vectis. (B. and Br.) 



Cups scattered, sessile, subglobose, then hemispherical ; 

 externally dark brown or nearly black, clothed with 

 short, rigid, brown, bristle-like hairs ; hymenium concave, 

 pallid-cinereous ; asci cylindraceo-clavate ; sporidia 8, 

 elongate-fusiform, curved, or vermiform, 1 to 3-septate, 

 25 x fyi ; paraphyses slenderly filiform. (Plate VIII. 

 fig. 52.) ' 



Peziza vectis B. and Br., "Ann. Nat. Hist.," No. 957 

 Cooke, " Handbk." No. 2063. 



On dead stems of Centaurea nigra. 



Cups 300/i broad. The short, rigid, nearly black 

 hairs are chiefly on the margin, and are intermixed with 

 brown polygonal granules. 



Name Vectis, the name of the Isle of Wight. 



Hyde ! (Rev. A. Bloxam). 



Order III. ASCOBOLE^E. Boud. 



Receptacle sessile, plane or convex, fleshy or sub- 

 gelatinous ; asci broad, never cylindrical, easily emergent, 

 rendering the disc papillate by their prominent summits. 

 (Plate IX. figs. 53-58.) 



Named from the typical genus. 



For the most part growing on old dung of animals 

 in shady places ; sometimes on earth or decaying vegetable 

 matter. 



