PHYLLOGONIACEiE. 



[ 504 ] 



PHYSCOMITRIUM. 



growing on the walls of oil-cellars. It is an 

 olive-coloured mildew, distinguished from 

 Mucor chiefly by the absence of a columella, 

 the pyriforra peridiole, and oblong spores ; 

 but the entire plants are much larger and 

 of more solid texture. The fertile filaments 

 of P. splende7is, the only other kno^ATi spe- 

 cies, are as thick as a horse-hair, and 3 to 4" 

 high. 



13iBL. Fries, Syst. Myc. iii. p. 309, Summa 

 Veg. 488 ; Berk. Ann. Nat. Hist. vi. p. 433. 



PHYLLOGONIACEtE. — A family of 

 Pleurocarpous Mosses, distinguished by the 

 peculiar character of the leaves and their 

 arrangement. The leaves are either inserted 

 horizontally or imbricated vertically, clasp- 

 ing, and are composed of very narrow linear 

 parenchymatous cells, appearing almost con- 

 fluent into a homogeneous membrane, auri- 

 cled at the base, with minute, parenchyma- 

 tous, thickened, alar cells arranged orbicu- 

 larly at the auricles, very smooth ; the leaves 

 stand in two opposite rows. 



This family contains only the single small 

 exotic genus Phyllogonium. 



PHYLLOPHORA, Grev.— A genus of 

 Cryptonemiacese (Florideous Algae), consist- 

 ing of several species, with a red, rigidly 

 membranous, stalked, leaf-like, often dicho- 

 tomous thallus, the lobes of which are often 

 proliferous ; from a few inches to a foot long, 

 growing near low-water mark, or in the sea. 

 The fructification consists of — 1 . favellidia, 

 scattered over the thallus, containing minute 

 spores ; 2. antheridia, wart-like bodies com- 

 posed of radiating moniliform filaments 

 found on distinct plants from the spores; 

 and 3. tetraspores, collected into sori either 

 towards the apex of the thallus or on proper 

 lobes. 



BiBL. Harvev, Brit. Mar. Alg. p. 142. 

 pi. ISA, Phyc. Brit. pi. 191, &c.; Greville, 

 Alg. Brit. pi. 15; Derbes and Sober, Ann. 

 des Sc.nat. 3 ser. xiv. p. 277. ph 37; Thuret, 

 ibid. 4 ser. iii. p. 18. 



PHYSACTIS, Kiitz.— A genus of Oscil- 

 latoriacese (Confervoid Algse), nearly related 

 to Rivularia, perhaps improperly separated, 

 consisting of aquatic and marine plants, 

 growing on stones, &c., at first globose, and 

 afterwards vesicular and lobed by peri- 

 ])heral growth, accompanied by gradual 

 decay of the originally solid centre. Under 

 this head are included — 



1. P. (Rivularia) nitida. Deep olive- 

 green, tufted and lobed, gregarious ; fronds 

 from 1-12 to 1" in diameter. (/?. bidlata. 

 Berk.) Marine. 



2. P. {Riv.) plicata. Diara. 1-12 to 1-2" 

 in diameter ; deep green. Marine. 



3. P. (Riv.) pisum. Globose, dirty green, 

 1-12 to 1-2" in diameter. Aquatic. 



BiBL. Kiitz. Sp. Jig. p. 332, Tab. Phyc. 

 Bd. i. pi. 58, &c. ; Hassall, Br. Fr. Alg. 

 p. 262; Harvey, Br. Mar. Alg. p. 222; 

 Berk. Gleanings, pi. 2. fig. 1. 



PHYSARUM, Pers.— A genus of Myxo- 

 gastres (Gasteromycetous Fungi), containing 

 numerous species growing on rotten wood, 

 bark, leaves, &c. They are nearly related to 

 Didymium and Diderma, but have a simple 

 membranous peridium ; the filaments are 

 adnate to the peridium, but in some spores 

 they are very few, approaching to the condi- 

 tion of Licea. Some are sessile, others 



Fig. 576 



Fig. 575. 



Physarum bryophilum. 



Fig. 574. Plants growing on a Plagiocliila. Magn. 2 

 diams. 



Fig. 575. A peridium burst. Magnified 25 diameters. 



Fig. 576. Filaments and spores from the same. Mag- 

 nified 100 diameters. 



stipitate (fig. 574) ; the clustered forms (P. 

 hyalinwn and utriculatum) are removed to 

 Berkeley's genus Badhamia. P. album is 

 common. 



BiBL. Berk. Brit. Flor. ii. pt. 2. p. 314, 

 Ann. Nat. Hist. vi. p. 431, 2nd ser. xiii. 

 p. 159 ; Fries, System. Myc. iii. p. 127, 

 Summa Veg. p. 153 ; Greville, Sc. Crypt. 

 Fl. pi. 40. 310. 



PHYSCOMITRIUM, Bridel.— A genus 

 of Funariaceae (Acrocarpous Mosses), inclu- 

 ding many Gymnostoma of other authors. 

 Physcomitrium jyyriforme, Brid. = Gymno- 

 stomum pyriforme, Hedw. Ph. sphcericum 

 is remarkable as having been found only in 

 one year in one locality in Britain, 



This species exhibits a pretty structure in 

 a vertical section of the immature capsule, 

 the mass of sporiferous tissue being sus- 

 pended freely in the middle by cellular 

 threads. 



