REVISIONS OF OEYLON FUNGI. 405 



But the sheet is mai'ked '' Gantharellus capensis " only, in 

 Broome's handwriting. According to the herbarium sheets, 

 therefore, these three numbers consisted of one species only, 

 but according to the published list they contain three ; and 

 although 687 is labelled Cantharellus capensis in the herbarium, 

 it is listed only as Xerotus tener. 



There are undoubtedly two species on the herbarium sheet. 

 The confusion is due, therefore, partly to Thwaites, who did 

 not distinguish between them, and partly to Berkeley and 

 Broome who, though they failed to detect Thwaites' mistake, 

 separated as distinct species a colour form of one of them — 

 and named it twice. The resemblance between these two 

 species was noted by Holtermaim, who found them in Java (?), 

 and named one of them Marasmius campanella, and the other 

 Favolaschia bispora. The former is stalked, membranous, dry, 

 and tough ; the latter is sessile and subgelatinous internally. 

 Thwaites' figure No. 90, which was named Cantharellus capen- 

 sis, is the sessile species Favolaschia bispora ; it cannot be 

 G. capensis, since the original specimens of the latter (from 

 South Africa) were villous and stalked. The specimen No. 90, 

 however, contained both F. bispora and M. campanella, if 

 Berkeley and Broome's references are correct. But pi'obably 

 they referred to No. 90, specimens which were really Nos. 684 or 

 687. Specimen No. 684 was Marasmiv^ campanella only ; it is 

 not C. capensis, since although it is stalked the gills are thin and 

 the pileus is not villous. Specimen No. 687 included a rufous 

 form which furnished the types of both Marasmius rufescens 

 and Xerotus tener. The " Xerotus tener " figured in Cooke's 

 Handbook of Australian Fungi is something quite different ; 

 it does not answer to Berkeley and Broome's description, 

 being figured much thicker than Xerotus lateritiv^, for example, 

 and sessile. ^; 



For the purpose of comparison I give the original descriptions 

 of Xerotus tener, and Marasmius rufescens. " Xerotus tener 

 B. & Br. Pileo reniformi tenui membranaceo umbrino 

 pulverulento ; stipite brevissimo ; lameUis concoloribus angus- 

 tissimis ; interstitiis lajvibus. Pileus about ^ an inch across, 

 far thinner than in the more typical species." " Marasmius 

 rufescens B. & Br. Totus rufescens ; pileo suborbiculari glabro ; 



7(12)09 (53) 



