ASCOBOLUS. 165 



Ascophores gregarious, sessile, at first subglobose then ex- 

 panding, base somewhat narrowed, margin and exterior 

 scurfy, yellowish-green, disc shining, 1-2 mm. across, be- 

 coming brownish when dry and old ; hypothecium. and 

 excipulum parenchymatous, cortical cells irregularly poly- 

 gonal, 6-10 /x diameter, running out in irregular clusters to 

 form the scurfy exterior ; asci clavate, attenuated below into 

 a slender pedicel, 8-spored ; spores 2-seriate, becoming at 

 last irregularly crowded near the apex of the ascus, rather 

 broadly elliptical, l^aline, then violet, at length brown, 

 epispore with numerous delicate, anastomosing cracks, 14-17 

 X 8-10 fx; paraphyses very slender, septate, equal or slightly 

 clavate at the tips, involved in pale yellow mucus. 



Among rotten leaves and on rotten wood. 



Distinguished from A. denudatus by the scurfy exterior of 

 the ascophore. 



Ascobolus viridis. Currey, Linn. Trans., xxiv. p. 154, 

 1863; Phil., Brit. Disc, p. 289, pi. 9, fig. 54; Sacc, 

 Syll., viii. n. 2155 (not of Boudier). 



Gregarious, sessile, at first closed then expanding and 

 becoming plane or only very slightly concave, at times irre- 

 gular in outline, dark dingy olive- or yellowish-green, 

 externally rather coarsely scurfy, 3-6 mm. across ; excipulum 

 parenchymatous, cortical cells 12-18 fx diameter ; asci large, 

 clavate, apex somewhat narrowed, with a slender pedicel, 

 8-spored ; spores irregularly 2-seriate, elliptic-fusiform, ends 

 rather pointed, epispore with anastomosing wrinkles, be- 

 coming deep, clear purple, 26-30 X 11-13 //, ; paraphyses 

 numerous, septate, rather stout, slightly thickened at the 

 tip, enveloped in pale yellow-green mucus. 



On naked ground in damp places. 



The coarsely scurfy exterior of the large ascophore, the 

 large, fusiform spores, and habitat stamp the present species. 



Type specimen examined. 



Ascobolus atro-fuscus. Phil. & Plow., Grew, vol. xi. 

 p. 186, t. 24, fig. 1 ; Phil., Brit. Disc, p. 291; Sacc, Syll., 

 viii. n. 2160. 



Ascophores crowded or scattered, sessile, closed at first, 

 then expanding and becoming concave, finally plane ; 



