DIDERMA 103 



furrowed, concolorous ; columella small or none ; capillitium 

 abundant, the threads rather rigid, purple or purplish brown, 

 branching and anastomosing, more or less beaded ; spores dark, 

 violaceous brown, spinulose, 10-13 p. 



In 1876, Harkness and Moore collected in the Sierra Nevada 

 Mountains of California, forms of Diderma which are described 

 by Phillips, Grev., V., p. 113, as D. geasteroides and D. lacinia- 

 tum. English authorities who have examined the material agree 

 that the forms described constitute but a single species, and 

 Lister makes them identical with D. trevelyani (Grev.) Fr. 

 Rostafinski's figures, 161, 162, are a curious reproduction, evi- 

 dently, of Fried. Nees von Esenbeck's, Plate IX., Fig. 4. Mas- 

 see describes a columella ; Lister says there is none. 



13. DIDERMA SAUTERI (Rost.} Macbr. 



1875. Chondrioderma sauteri Rost., Man., p. 181. 



1891. Chondrioderma aculeatum Rex, Proc. Phil. Acad., p. 390. 



Sporangia scattered, gregarious, sessile, lenticular or hemi- 

 spherical, flattened above and sometimes concave or umbilicate 

 below, dusky or yellowish white, the outer peridium papyra- 

 ceous, thin, occasionally wrinkled, rupturing irregularly, remote 

 from the inner, which is thin, delicate, semi-transparent, grayish, 

 rarely iridescent ; hypothallus none ; columella irregular, some- 

 times small and hardly evident, rugose, with spine-like processes, 

 the persisting bases of the capillitial threads reddish brown ; 

 capillitium scanty, white, or colorless, simple or sparingly 

 branched; spores dark violaceous, spinulose, 12-13 p. 



This is Chondrioderma aculeatum Rex, Proc. Acad. Nat. Set. 

 Phil., 1891, p. 391. After careful comparison of specimens and 

 various descriptions, especially that of Rostafinski with the type 

 specimens of Dr. Rex, I am constrained to concur with Lister 

 in adopting Rostafinski's name. The sporangia in the type 

 specimens (Rex) are on moss, borne at the extreme tips of acu- 

 minate or aculeate leaves, so that at first sight they appear 

 stipitate. 



Apparently rare. Maine, New York. 



