T6 FETCH : 



by Berkeley and Broome in their Fungi of Ceylon. The 

 specimens have not been critically examined. Massee, in 

 his Monograph of the Genus Lycoperdon, cites Ceylon for 

 both these species, but as his localities were in the majority 

 of cases evidently taken from the herbarium sheets without 

 examination of the specimens, his statements cannot be 

 relied on. ' 



Lycoperdopsis. 



Lycoperdopsis arcyrioides P. Henn. No. 2374, Peradeniya, 

 November, 1907. 



* SCLERODERMACE^. 



Scleroderma. 



Scleroderma columnare B. & Br. Described by Berkeley and 

 Broome in Fungi of Ceylon, No. 726, from Thwaites 674, 

 cum icone. A fairly frequent species at Peradeniya, among 

 grass under trees. 



Total height up to 4 cm. Head globose or laterally oval, 

 usually about 2*5 cm. diameter, sometimes up to 4 cm., 

 purple-brown or reddish-brown, even, appearing glabrous 

 when moist, but minutely tomentose when dry, outer layer 

 cracking into minute areolae. Stalk up to 1'5 cm. high, 

 9 mm. diameter, white or yellowish, slightly tomentose, 

 usually regular and terete, expanding gradually or abruptly 

 into the head. In section the stalk shows a cartilaginous layer 

 immediately beneath the epidermis, which layer is continued 

 over the apex of the stalk, usually convexly, and separates 

 the gleba from the stalk tissues. The central stalk tissue is 

 white and pith-like. When cut, the central portion of the 

 stalk turns purple and the outer layer yellow. Gleba mass 

 purple-brown. Spores brown, globose, 8-12 ^jl diameter, with 

 close-set spines, 2-3 ^ long. The stalk arises from a copious 

 mass of mycelium. The head splits up irregularly when ripe. 



Scleroderma endoxanthum n. sp. Epigeal, sessile. Irregu- 

 larly depresso -globose, vertically silicate, up to 10 cm. 

 diameter, blackish-olive, even, the surface broken into 

 minute areolae. Basal mycelium scanty, sulphur-yellow. 

 Cortex up to 3 mm. thick, bright orange -yellow throughout ; 



