LACHNEA. 311 



Very closely allied to L. stercorea ; differing mainly in 



the absence of external stellate hairs. 

 Type specimen examined. 



Laehnea stercorea. Gill., Disc. Fr., p. 76 j Phil., 

 Brit. Disc, p. 223 ; Sacc, Syll., viii. n. 744. 



Gregarious or scattered, sessile, fleshy, subglobose and 

 closed when young, gradually expanding until plane 

 dingy red, sometimes with an orange tinge, externally paler 

 and pilose, 2-4 mm. across; marginal hairs thick-walled, 

 tapering to a point, base often more or less bulbou> and 

 branched where it springs from the cortical cells, smooth, 

 brown, 300-500 X 9-12 /a; hairs below the margin stellate, 

 rays 2-6, coloured, septate, attached by a short pedicel-cell 

 to the cortical cells ; cortex parenchymatous, cells large ; 

 asci cylindrical, apex somewhat truncate, pedicel narrowed, 

 often crooked at the base, 8-spored ; spores 1-seriate, smooth, 

 hyaline, continuous, elliptical, ends obtuse, 17-20 X 8-0 /x; 

 paraphyses septate, clavate, filled with red granules, often 

 nodulose or irregular. 



Peziza stercorea, Pers., Obs., ii. p. 89 ; Mycogr., fig. 147. 



On dung of various animals, often growing along with 

 various species of Ascobolus and allied genera. 



Laehnea coprinarla differs in the absence of stellate hairs on 

 the exterior of the ascophore. 



L. crucipila is very closely allied to the present species,, 

 differing mainly in the brighter red or crimson disc, and 

 the shorter marginal hairs, and in not growing on dung. 



Laehnea crucipila. Phil., Brit. Disc, p. 229. 



Ascophore 2-3 mm. across, sessile, scattered, rather fleshy ; 

 excipulum parenchymatous, cells irregularly polygonal, 

 20-30 fx diameter ; externally orange, pilose, hairs pale brown, 

 thick-walled, septate, simple, bifurcate, triradiate, or cruciate 

 on a short basal cell, 100-200 X 7-10 /jl, tapering to a point; 

 disc at maturity concave or almost plane, bright scarlet ; asci 

 cylindrical; spores 8, obliquely uniseriate, elliptic-oblong, 

 smooth, continuous, hyaline, 18-21 x 8-10 /x ; paraphyses 

 filiform, becoming clavate upwards, apex 4—5 /x thick, con- 

 taining red granules. 



Neottiella crucipila, Sacc, Syll., viii. n. 781. 



Peziza crucipila, Cke. & Phillips, Mycogr., fig. 237. 



