MYCETOZOA OF CEYLON. 331 



Physarum roseum, Berk. & Br. 



Plasmodium maroon. In two gatherings from the decayed 

 leaf bases of Phoenix reclinata the rose-coloured sporangia 

 are 0"5 mm. diameter, on red-brown, striate, slender stalks 

 0"8 mm. high, arising from a brown hypothallus ; spores 

 reddisli-lilac , 7 M diameter. It has also been found on the 

 decaying stump of an areca palm, and on the decaying stem of a 

 liane. In the latter gatherings there is no hypothallus, and 

 some of the sporangia are minutely umbilicate at the apex. 



Peradeniya, Teldeniya. 

 Physarum psittacinum, Ditm. , var. fulvum. Lister. 



Plasmodium orange, creeping over dead leaves. Sporangia 

 which developed in the laboratory in contaot with wet blotting 

 paper stained the paper yellow. In a gathering from Pera- 

 deniya the sporangia are purple, iridescent, with red patches 

 or irregular red markings ; total height about 1 ram. ; stalks 

 0*5 to 0*75 mm. high, twisted and furrowed, pale yellow or 

 orange, conical, arising from a circular hypothallus ; lime- 

 knots orange-red, conspicuous, with fine, rigid, yellow 

 connecting threads ; the whole capillitium looks Didymium- 

 like ; the spores are 7 y diameter, and have a yellow tinge, 

 which may be due to the colouring matter from the 

 capiUitium. 



Physarum viride, Pers. 



Physarum nutans P. var. auretim. B. & Br., in Fungi of 

 Ceylon, No. 579. 



Fairly common. Specimens from Badurehya are 2 mm. 

 high, nodding ; stalk 80 /^ diameter at the base, 20 /^ at the 

 apex, opaque below, transparent yellow above ; sporangium 

 wall containing large yellow lime masses ; capilHtium rigid ; 

 lime knots fusoid, orange ; spores violet-brown, smooth, 8 i" 

 diameter. A gathering from Pattipola has bright yellow 

 lenticular sporangia. Yellow specimens left exposed to the 

 sun in the la^boratory for a fortnight were bleached whit« , and 

 might have then been classed as var. incanum. 



On dead wood and decaying Polypori. Peradeniya, Gan- 

 garuwa, Yatiyantota, Hunugalla, Kegalla, Badureliya, 

 Talawakele, Pattipola, Yatipauwa. 



