MYCETOZOA OF CEYLON. 329 



Physarum variabile, Rex., var. sessile, Lister. 



Physururn virescens, Ditin., var. flavum, B. & Br. Fungi of 

 Ceylon, No. 761. 



Ceylon specimens of Physarum variabile are all var. sessile. 

 That in Herb. Peradeniya consists of sessile, scattered or 

 clustered, rubglobose sporangia, 0*6 to 0-7 mm. diameter, yellow 

 with dense yellow scattered lime deposits : wall cracking into 

 scales ; lime knots white or yellowish ; spores pale violet- 

 brown , faintly spinulose, 9 to 10 a* diameter. Of tliis gathering 

 (Thw. 271) Mr. Lister wrote : " The Kew specimen of this 

 number is minute and too immature to admit of examination. 

 That which you now send is not quite ripe, but the yellow 

 sporangium wall and white lime knots, and the violet-brown 

 spores, 9 /^ diameter, can be quite well made out." A recent 

 gathering consists of small rounded sporangia, 0*25 mm. 

 diameter, and long winding plasmodiocarps up to 6 mm. X 

 0'25 mm. : the wall is membranous with scatteied innate lime 

 granules and dense yellow warts ; when the denser deposits are 

 wanting, the sporangia appear white ; the plasmodiocai-ps often 

 split along the top : the Ume knots are large , rounded, granular, 

 yellow or white, with slender hyahne connecting threads ; 

 spores pale violet-brown, closely and minutely warted, 9-10 y" 

 diameter. 



Peradeniya, on dead leaves. Thwaites' specimen is on 

 moss and Hchen. 



Physarum melleum (B. & Br.), Massee. 



Didymium melleum, B. & Br. Fungi of Ceylon, No. 751. 

 Physarum Schumacheri, Rost. Massee, Mon., p. 275. 



The type specimen in Herb. Peradeniya consists of a few 

 yellowish-white stalks and detached heads, mostly immature. 

 It is one of the commonest species on dead leaves, more rarely 

 on wood, at Peradeniya, and exliibits considerable variation, 

 especially in colour. Normal specimens have ochraceous 

 sporangia, white stalks, and white Hme knots. The ripening 

 sporangium is translucent orange-red, then black, and finally 

 ochraceous ; immature specimens are usually red when dried. 

 One gathering contains, together with the normal form, pale 

 yellow sporangia on yellow stalks, with yellow lime knots ; 

 when mounted some of the stalks are yellow and translucent, 



