HELOTIUM. 267 



Helotium strobilirmm. Mass. 



Ascophore stipitate, gregarious, at first clavate and closed, 

 then expanding, the disc becoming almost or quite plane and 

 surrounded by a very delicate margin which does not become 

 much incurved when dry ; disc pallid, externally glabrous, 

 somewhat shining, blackish-olive, becoming paler towards 

 the margin, J— § mm. across, stem slender, blackish, about 

 A mm. high ; hypothecium and excipulum parenchymatous, 

 cortical cells coloured, very long and narrow, passing upwards 

 into parallel, greyish hyphae ; asci narrowly clavate, apex 

 contracted and thick-walled, 8-spored; spores irregularly 

 2-seriate upwards, hyaline, continuous, narrowly elliptical, 

 ends rather pointed, 11-13 X 3-4 fx ; paraphyses hyaline, 

 slender, slightly thickened at the tip. 



Peziza strobilina, Fries, Syst. Myc, ii. p. 125. 



Hymenoscypha strobilina, Phil., Brit. Disc, p. 133. 



On scales of fallen cones of fir. 



Disc at first urceolate, afterwards more expanded ; the 

 texture is tough, and when dry the plant is rigid and black. 

 (Phil.) 



Specimen examined in Phil., Elv. Brit., n. 40. 



H. On Cryptogams. 



Helotium marchantiae. Fries, Summa Veg. Scand., 

 p. 356; Phil., Brit. Disc, 164; Sacc, Syll., n. 1012. 



Scattered or solitary, sessile but attached by a narrowed 

 base, fleshy, becoming almost plane, but more or less margi- 

 nate, glabrous, sometimes w r avy at the margin ; pale yel- 

 lowish-brown, disc usually darker when dry; excipulum 

 parenchymatous, cells irregularly polygonal and largest 

 towards the outside where they measure 15-25 fx ; 1— lj mm. 

 diameter; asci elongated, narrowly cylindrical, tapered and 

 often wavy at the base, 8-spored ; spores obliquely uni- 

 seriate, hyaline, continuous, smooth, elliptic-oblong, 12-15 X 

 3-4 jx ; paraphyses filiform, very slightly thickened upwards, 

 hyaline, 3 /x thick. 



Peziza marchantiae, Berk., Engl. EL, vol. v. p. 204. 



On fading Marchantia polymoi-pha. 



Type specimen examined. 



