Order Hymenomycetes. Tribe Cupulati} 



Plate XXXVII. 



PEZIZA AURANTIA, p.r~ 



Orange Peziza. 

 Series Aleukia.^ Sub-genus Megalopyxis.^ 



Gen. Char. Cup more or less concave, soon expanded, the disk naked. Name from Pezica, a word used by 

 Pliny to denote some fungus of this shape. 



Spec. Char. Peziza aurantia. At first hemispherical, margin almost involute, nearly sessile or with a short 

 stem, oblique, irregular ; at length spUt, curled, and flexuous ; of the clearest orange colour within, externally whitish, 

 slightly pruinose or mealy with minute sparkling granules. 

 Peziza aurantia, Persoon, Fries, Berkeley, GrevUle. 

 coccinea, Sowerhy. 



Ilah. About the roots of felled oaks. Autmnn. 



" All the terrestrial Pezizas," says \''ittadini, " may be coUected and destined to the uses of the kitchen, 

 they are all innocent and approach in their qualities to the HelveUas and Morels." After this statement 

 our readers may feel more curiosity as to what a Peziza is. It is then a member of the great natural family 

 Cupulati, so caUed from their tendency to a cup shape, which have the hymenium superior, that is, tliis 

 membrane hues the inside of the cup, which in the expanded state is of course the upper surface ; the outer 

 or inferior smface is barren. The sporidia are contained in Asci or tubes, which are fixed by one end into 

 the hymenium, the other opening to emit these reproductive bodies, which fly out of the Asci in the form 

 of dust, when the mature Pungus is shghtly shaken ; but so minute are the tubes with their contents, that a 

 fine bloom spread upon a smooth surface is all the fructification presents to the naked eye. There are 

 neither gUls, pores, papUlse, nor any other configuration denoting its position. Many Pezizas are extremely 

 * minute, growing on the bark of trees or parasitically upon other vegetable substances ; it is only with the 

 larger terrestrial species that we are at present concerned. These are cup-shaped, occasionally irregular, and 

 variously lobed, but always gathered into a central point, whether that be or be not elongated into a stem ; 

 the cup is nearly of one imiform thickness, brittle and tender, sometimes inclined inwards, or conniveiit, 



' Receptacle pateUiform, margined. Hymenium superior, more or less closed when young, and concave. 

 Sporidia contained in Asci. 



2 From oKevpov, meal, fleshy or carnoso-membranaceous, pruinose or floccoso-furfuraceous from the concrete 

 veil. 



^ From y.(yas, great, and n-vjis a cup. Cup open when young, or connivent. Veil superficial. 



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