80 ENDOSPORE.E. [CHONDRIODERMA. 



from the membranous colourless inner wall. Columella convex or 

 depressed, brownish flesh-coloured, enclosing white lime-granules. 

 Capillitium of delicate colourless or pale purplish threads, sparingly 

 branched and anastomosing. Spores pale violet-brown, nearly 

 smooth, 6 to 8 //, diam. Mass., Mon., p. 216. Didymium 

 reticulatum Host., in Fuckel, Symb. Myc., Nachtr. 2, p. 73 (1873). 

 Chondrioderma Saundersii Berk. & Br., in Mass., Mon., p. 209, 



Plate XXXI. . A. -/. orbicular and plasm odiocarp sporangia, x 20 (United 

 States). 



Rostafinski's type specimen at Strassburg consists of flattened, white, 

 branching or net-like plasmodiocarps, with capillitium and spores as 

 described above. It is a question whether this species should not be 

 placed as a variety of C. Michelii, from which it differs only in the 

 shape of the sporangia. Instances have occurred in which the stalked 

 and plasmodiocarp forms have been found together, with strong evidence 

 that they sprung from the same plasmodium. On the other hand, they 

 are so constant that, for convenience, the name given by Rostafinski is 

 retained in this catalogue for the sessile and plasmodiocarp forms. 

 From plasmodiocarp forms of C. testaceum it is distinguished by the 

 flat sporangia and the absence of any rosy tinge in the sporangium- 

 wall and columella. The Ceylon gatherings, marked " 75. Diderma 

 depression Fr." (B. M. 514 ; K. 1438, 1439), show flattened white plasmo- 

 diocarps, with brownish flesh-coloured columella, and must be referred 

 to C. reticulatum ; as also must C. Saundersii Berk. & Br., from Java 

 (K. 1479), in the type specimen of which the broad, extensive 

 plasmodiocarps resemble the American gatherings. 



Halt. On dead leaves, sticks, etc. Luton, Beds. (L:B.M.57) ; Switzer- 

 land (Strassb. Herb.) ; Ceylon (B. M. 514) ; Java (K. 1479) ; Ohio 

 (L:B.M.57) ; Philadelphia (L:B.M.57) ; Iowa (B. M. 1022). 



7. C. niveum. Host., Mon., p. 170 (1875). Plasmodium? Spor- 

 angia subglobose, depressed, sessile, crowded, 0'7 to 1-5 mm. diarn., 

 or forming scattered plasmodiocarps, sometimes seated on a white 

 or dull yellow hypothallus, smooth, chalk-white ; sporangium- 

 wall of two layers, the outer densely charged with white lime- 

 granules, separating from the inner layer, which is orange, 

 membranous above, (cartilaginous below. Columella broad, convex, 

 together with the base of the sporangium, orange Capillitium 

 of purple threads, sparingly branched except at the pale ex- 

 tremities, rigid, sometimes intermixed with more delicate threads, 

 more or less closely beset with, wart-like thickenings. Spores 

 violet-brown, minutely spinulose, 9 to 11 ^ diarn. Host., Mon., 

 App., p. 16; Cooke, Myx. Brit., p. 37; Blytt, Bidr. Norg., Sop. iii. 

 (1892), p. 6. Diderma albescens Phill., in Grev., v., p. 114. 

 Chondrioderma albescens Mass., Mon., p. 209. Diderma deplana- 

 tum Fr., Syst. Myc., iii., p. 110; Berk., in Engl. FL, v., part ii., 

 p. 312. Chondrioderma deplanatum Rost., Mon., App., p. 17 (in 

 part) (1876). 



a. genuinum : sporangia subglobose, crowded. 



/3. deplanatum : sporangia forming plasmodiocarps, scattered. 



Plate XXXI. , B. a. sporangia, x 20 ; . capillitium and spores, x 280 ; 

 c. spore, x 600 (Vosges Mts. ; Rostafinski's type) ; d. sporangia of form 



