DIACH.EA.] PHTSARACE.E. 91 



1. Diachaea elegans Fries, I.e. (1825). Plasmodinm opaque 

 white. Total height 1 to 1 - 3 mm. Sporangia cylindrical, obtuse 

 or subglobose, stipitate, erect, gregarious, 0'7 mm. high by O25 

 mm. broad, deep iridescent blue; sporangium-wall membranous, 

 hyaline. Stalk stout, brittle, furrowed, one-third or one-half the 

 height of the sporangium, broad at the base, rising from a well 

 developed hy pot hall us, densely charged with round lime-granules 

 2 to 4 /x cliam., snow-white. Columella cylindrical, narrowed 

 upwards, reaching half-way or nearly to the apex of the sporan- 

 gium, white, densely charged with lime. Capillitium of profusely 

 branched and anastomosing threads connecting the columella 

 with the sporangium-wall, dark violet-brown, colourless at the 

 extremities. Spores dull violet, minutely spinulose, 7 to 9 /x diam. 



Fr., Syst. Myc., iii., 156 ; Berk., in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 ser. 1, i., p. 257 ; Cooke, Handb., p. 395. Trichia leucopoda Bull., 

 Champ., p. 121, t 502, fig. 2. Diachcea leucopoda Rost., Mon., 

 p. 190, fig. 178; Cooke, Myx. Brit,, p. 44 ; Ma>s.. Mon., p. 259. 

 D. confiisa Mass., Mon., p. 259. Didymiwm bulbillosum Berk. & 

 Br., in Linn. Journ., xiv., p. 84. 



Plate XXXVI., A. a. sporangia, x 20; b. capillitium and spores, x 280; 

 c. spore, x 600 (England). 



The type specimen of D. confusfi Mass., from Jamaica, does not 

 appear to differ from D. elegans ; the spores measure 7 to 8 ft, the 

 usual size in that species ; they are free except when combined in 

 masses by mould. The type specimen of !)'/<! i/m tnm bulbillosum IBerk. 

 & Br., from Ceylon (B. M. ;V.i*J), is a form of D. </<-;/<ms with globose 

 sporangia ; the lime in the stalk is in the form of angular lumps, while 

 the columella is without lime ; the spores are more spinulose than in 

 typical D. </< f/<n)x. but not tuberculated as in D. splendens. 



Hab. On dead leaves. Wanstead, Essex (L:B.M. 06) ; France (Paris 

 Herb.) ; Germany (B. M. 580) ; Poland (Strassb. Herb.) ; Bohemia 

 (B. M. 584) ; Natal (K. 433) ; India (B. M. 590) ; Ceylon (B. M. 592) ; 

 Ohio (L:B.M.6G) ; S. Carolina (B. M. 848) ; Cuba (K. 438) ; Jamaica 

 (Herb. Massee) ; Chili (Strassb. Herb.) ; Paraguay (Paris Herb.). 



2. D. splendens Peck, in Rep. N. York Mus. Nat. Hist., xxx., 

 p. 50 (1878). Similar to the globose form of D. elegans, except 

 that the spores are provided with dark raised bands and 

 tubercles. Mass., Mon., p. 261 ; Macbride, in Bull. Nat. Hist. 

 Iowa, ii., p. 143. 



Plate XXXVI., A..d. sporangia, x 20 ; c. capillitium and spores, x 280 ; 

 f. spores, x 600 (United States). 



Hab. On dead leaves. Massachusetts, U.S.A. (L:B.M.69) ; Iowa 

 (L:B.M.69). 



3. D. Thomasii Rex, in Proc. Acad. N. Sc. Phil. (1892), p. 329. 

 Plasmodium rich yellow. Sporangia globose, shortly stalked or 

 sessile, scattered or crowded on a common orange hypothallus, 

 0*6 to 0'7 mm. diam., iridescent copper-coloured or violet-blue ; 

 sporangium-wall membranous, hyaline. Stalk short, stout, rich 

 orange, densely charged with orange lime-granules. Columella 



