350 Rev. M. J. Berkeley on British Fungi. 



different from those of H.lilacinus, and the soft dehcate texture is 

 very remarkable. It accords also very closely with H. niveus, 

 Vitt._, but its odour has no resemblance to that of Geranium Ro- 

 hertianum. I have seen no specimen of Vittadini^s plant, and 

 therefore dare not consider mine the same, especially as he has 

 not represented in his figure the very important character of 

 the white absorbing base. 



Hysterangium, Vitt., 1. c. " Fungi globosi, solidi, carnoso-car- 

 tilaginei, demum mucosi diffluentes, appendicibus radicalibus in- 

 structi, intus minute cellulosi ; cellulis cavis ; parietibus basidiis, 

 sporas 2 rarius 3 — 4 oblongas obtusas subsessiles gerentibus, 

 compositis ; sporis minutissimis Isevibus guttulas 2 vel plures in- 

 cludentibus.^'— Tul. I.e. p. 375. 



298. H. nephriticum, n. s. Depresso-globosum, polyrrhizum, 

 punctis variis mycelio candido valde ramoso adhserens ; peridio 

 crassiusculo firmo elastico solubili demum discreto Isevi tomen- 

 toso candido ; substantia cartilagineo-glutinosa pellucida pallide 

 cserulea fungi ad basim crassiore atque inde radiante ; cellulis ir- 

 regularibus vacuis floccis tenuibus percursis ; sporis minutis ob- 

 longis brevissime pedicellatis utrinque obtusis Isevibus pellucidis 

 pallidissime argillaceis. Clifton, Som., Feb. 1844, C. E. Broome, 

 Esq. Abundantly. 



Above ^ — 1 inch across, gregarious, sometimes confluent, 

 snow-white, downy, seated on a white, flat, branched mycelium 

 which penetrates deeply into the clayey soil, and is attached at 

 various points to the peridium ; peridium firm, elastic, easily se- 

 parating from the fructifying mass, but in the process of drying 

 in young plants adhering closely to it, in older plants often 

 separating entirely ; when rubbed or cut contracting sometimes a 

 pale rufous tinge; substance firm, cartilagineo-glutinous, proceed- 

 ing from the base and radiating into the mass, the arrangement 

 of which has a strong resemblance to that of a kidney, of a pale 

 blue or gray, which in parts exhibits a green tinge from the sub- 

 jacent spores; in very young specimens, before the spores are 

 formed, there is not the slightest blue tinge but a very pale pink ; 

 cells irregular, minute, sometimes straight and radiating, clothed 

 with very pale argillaceous oblong spores, and emitting from their 

 walls irregular threads which either terminate abruptly or cross 

 over to the opposite wall. As the plant di'ies, the blue and con- 

 sequently the green tint vanishes almost entirely, and the mass 

 is of a very pale clay-colour from the spores. The central mass 

 contracts extremely, and the outer surface becomes more or less 

 irregular. Smell scarcely any at first, then like that of some Hg- 

 pericum, at length precisely like that of a decaying pufi^ball. 



If the fungus is cut exactly through the centre, the arrangement 

 of its tissue is seen distinctly to proceed from the base ; but if the 



