PSEUDOPEZIZA. 203 



Pseudopeziza benesueda. Mass. 



Ascopliores erumpent, gregarious, or usually in clusters of 

 2-4 and much contorted from lateral pressure, sessile, at first 

 closed, then expanding until the disc is plane, externally- 

 greyish or olive, disc pallid, glabrous, somewhat wax}', 

 .1-1 h mm. across ; hypothecium and excipulum parenchy- 

 matous, hyaline, cortical cells olive-brown, 8-12 /x diameter; 

 asci narrowly clavate, apex narrowed, 8-spored ; spores 

 2-seriate, hyaline, continuous, narrowly elliptic-fusiform, 

 straight or slightly bent, 8-10 x 2-2 * 5 /a ; paraphyses straight, 

 rather stout, septate, hyaline, apex slightly thickened. 



Peziza benesueda, Tub, Ann. Sci. Nat., 1853, p. 169, pi. xv. 

 figs. 8-9. 



Mollisia benesueda, Phil., Brit. Disc, p. 174; Eehm, 

 Krypt.-Flora, Dist., p. 513, figs. 1-6, p. 505; Sacc, Sylb, viii. 

 n. 1381. 



On dead branches of alder. 



Tulasne has shown that in some ascopliores the peripheral 

 portion of the disc bears normal asci, whereas the central 

 portion is mostly occupied by very slender, forked hyphae 

 bearing delicate rod-like spermatia at the tips of the 

 branches. 



Cups about ^ a line broad. These burst out through the 

 bark in little heaps, much crowded and deformed. The 

 supposed spermatia are rarely to be met with. This is very 

 near M. cinerea and M. fallax. (Phillips.) 



Specimens examined in Phil., Elv. Brit., n. 175; Eehm, 

 Ascom., 756. 



Pseudopeziza discolor. Mass. 

 Erumpent, clustered in groups of 3-5, sessile, closed at 

 first, then expanding, the disc becoming almost or quite 

 plane and patellate, fixed by a central point, margin thin, 

 sometimes wavy, contorted when dry, glabrous, disc hone}-- 

 coloured, externally brown, 1-1 J mm. across; excipulum 

 formed of interwoven, hyaline hyphae that gradually pass 

 into a parenchymatous cortex of olive cells, 10-14 ^ 

 diameter; asci narrowly clavate, apex narrowed, pedicel 

 stout, often bent at the base, 8-spored ; spores 2-seriate, 

 hyaline, continuous, narrowly fusiform, straight, or rarely 

 slightly bent, 10-12 X 2-5 /jt ; paraphyses straight, hyaline, 



