332 FETCH ; 



Physarum Berkeley!, Rost. 



Tliis species has been collected on six occasions at Pera- 

 deniya, generally on decaying palm fronds. In one gathering 

 the sjDorangia are yellow, rugose, 0*4 to 0*5 mm. diameter, 

 either nearly sessile or on stalks up to '7 mm. long ; the stalk 

 and lower part of the sporangium are dark brown when viewed 

 as opaque objects ; on dehiscence, the lower part of the 

 sporangium persists as a cup in the long-stalked forms, but 

 this is not evident in the more sessile ; wall membranous with 

 innate lime deposits, cartilaginous towards the base, which is 

 yellow-brown in glycerine jelly ; hme knots yellow, with 

 liyaline connecting threads ; spores pale violet-brown, very 

 minutely spinulose, 9 to 10 ^i^ diameter. In another gathering 

 the total height varies from 1 • 5 to 1 • 75 mm. ; the sporangia 

 are ■ 6 mm. diameter, orange, wdth large warted Hme deposits ; 

 stalk and lower part of the sporangium almost black, the latter 

 clear yeUow, with yellow-brown folds in glycerine jeUy ; lime 

 knots large, yellow, granular, containing spherical granules, 1 

 to 2*5 /^ diameter, which are also present in the sporangium 

 wall ; hyahne threads short ; spores 10 to 12 i^ diameter, 

 minutely spinulose. 



Peradeniya. 



Physarum nucleatum, Rex. 



On dead wood, and on old leaf bases of Phcenix reclinata 

 attached to the tree. The sporangia are white, 0*5 mm. 

 diameter, on long stalks 1 • 75 to 2 mm. high : stalks translucent 

 above, yellowish at the base ; the lime globule in the centre 

 of the capillitium reaches * 25 mm. diameter, and is frequently 

 found on the substratum, having dropped out of the sporan- 

 gium. 



Peradeniya, Gangaruwa. 



Physarum nutans, Pers. 



Rather rare. The specimens recorded by Berkeley and 

 Broome in Fungi of Ceylon, No. 759, are Physarum nicuraguense, 

 Macbride. A sessile form, in minute subglobose sporangia or 

 small elongated plasmodiocarps (spores 8 to 10 fJ-), occurs fairly 

 frequently on the green coating of algae on damp walls and 

 flower pots, but the usual stalked forms are seldom met with. 

 Var. genuinum, from Badurehya, has stalks 1 to 1"25 mm. 



