LOUDIERA. 285 



The soft, fleshy, subgelatinous texture ; the papillate 

 hymenitirn, arising from the protruding asci, which are 

 always broadly clavate ; and the growth of nearly all 

 species on the dung of animals, are ready characters by 

 which to distinguish the plants of this order from Pezizw. 

 They rarely exceed 2 lines in breadth, the majority 



being much less. 



ARRANGEMENT OF THE GENERA. 



A. Sporidia having a coloured 



epispore. 



I. Boudiera. 

 II. Ascobolus. 



B. Sporidia hyaline. 

 IV. Thecotheus. 

 V. Ryparobius. 

 VI. Ascophanus. 



III. Saccobolus, 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



A. Sporidia coloured, usually purple. 



tSporidia globose . . . . . . . . . . Boudiera. 



Sporidia elliptic. 



Sporidia free in ascus . . . . . . Ascobolus. 



Sporidia inclosed in a common membrane 



within the ascus . . . . . . . . Saccobolus. 



B. Sporidia hyaline. 



Sporidia not more than 8 in ascus (except 



sexdecimsporu*) . . . . . . . . Ascophanus. 



Sporidia more than 8 in ascus. 



Asci very large, much exserted . . . . Thecotheus. 



Asci small, but broad ., .. .. liyparobius. 



SECTION A. SPOEIDIA COLOURED. 

 GENUS I. BOUDIERA. Cooke in " Grevillea," vi. p. 76. 



Immarginate, obicular, discoid, plane or convex, 

 fleshy ; hymenium papillate ; asci clavate or clavate- 

 cylindrical, ejected; sporidia globose; paraphyses dis- 

 tinct. (Plate IX. fig. 53.) 



Name After E. Boudier. 



Boudiera areolata. Cooke and Phil. 



Cups dark brown, orbicular, convex ; asci clavate 

 cylindrical ; sporidia 8, globose, deeply areolate, hyaline, 

 brownish, 30/i ; paraphyses stout, septate, clavate, and 

 brown at the apico- (Plate IX. fig. 53.) 



