Order Hymen omycetes. Tribe Cupulati} 



Plate VII. 



PEZIZA RETICULATA, oreouie. 



Reticulated Peziza. 

 Series Aleukia.'^ Sub-genus Megaloptxis.^ 



Spec. Char. Peziza reticulata. Many inclies broad, reddish-brown within, and strongly plicate and reticu- 

 lated ; without, whitish and pruinose ; margin involute, at length vaiuously split, the segments repand ; stem short, 

 thick, costate, sometimes obsolete. Odour stro!\g, like that of nitric acid. 

 Peziza reticulata, Greville, Berkeley. 



Hah. On the ground in spring. 



The Peziza^, in general, are quite smooth within the cup, but occasionally wrinkled and veined 

 externally ; this member of tJie family, however, is an exception, as the inside is puckered or gathered in, 

 forming a series of irregular promine)ices. Reticulated is a name that scarcely applies, for a net (as in some 

 melons) should be raised upon the surface, whereas, in this case, mesh-work there is none, the rising 

 portions being those between the confining lines ; thus the upper side of manj leaves becomes drawn down 

 by the strong veins of the under surface ; but if we correctly say the under-side of a savoy-cabbage leaf, for 

 instance, is strongly reticulated, we should scarcely aflirm it of the upper. Besides, in this Peziza, although 

 the upper or inner surface of the cup is corrugated, that beneath is smooth : by this character it is distin- 

 guished from P. venpsa, in which species the veins are external. 



Whether the name suits it or 7iot, a very clean, pure, handsome plant is Dr. GrevUle's P. reticulata. 

 According to Corda, all the family are esculent, resembhng the Helvcllas and Morchellas : as far as P. aceta- 

 bulum is concerned, we can bear him out, and should have no objection to try P. badia or P. coclileata, of 

 which Mr. Berkeley says he saw a large basket offered for sale as morels ; but this example smelt so strongly 

 of nitric acid, we feared to venture on it. In some degree resembliTig it are, first, the large gregarious in- 

 ternally brown Peziza vesiculosa, common o)i dunghiUs, old hot-beds, thatch, in fact on decaying straw ; 

 this is smooth within, dirty white without, rough and scurfy, at first the margins are connivent, or 

 much inclined inwards, at length campanulate, but never repand j secondly, the Peziza rejunula, which in 

 colouring and other particulars resembles the last, but splits at the margin into segments, wliich are never 

 convolute, whence its distinctive name, from tliis character, repand. 



' Eeceptacle patellifovm, margined. Hymenium superior, more or less closed when young, and concave. 



2 From oKevpov, meal. Fleshy or carnoso-membranaceous, pruinose or floccoso-furfuraceous from the con- 

 crete veil. 



3 Prom fieyas, great, and ttv^Xs, a cup. Cup open when young, or connivent. Veil superficial. 



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