224 THE MYXOMYCETES 



1. Licea variabilis Schrad. 



Nov. Gen. PI. 18, pi. VI, 5, 6, 1797. 

 PI. XV, Figs. 373, 374. 



1801. Licea flexuosa Pers., Syn. Meth. Fung. 197. 



1808. Tubulina flexuosa (Pers.) Poiret, in Lam. Encycl. 8 : 131. 



1833. Licea alutacea Wallr., Fl. Crypt. Germ. 2 : 344. 



Fructification plasmodiocarpous, elongate, hamate, annulate or ir- 

 regularly repent, very dark brown, rough; peridium of two layers, 

 closely adhering, the outer dark brown, thick, opaque, the inner 

 delicate, membranous, very thin, transparent, iridescent, rugulose, 

 rupturing irregularly; hypothallus none; spores in mass pale yellow 

 with a greenish tinge, by transmitted light nearly colorless, large, 

 globose or broadly oval and often somewhat angular, with a thick 

 wall, thicker at the angles, minutely spinulose, 12-15 /*. 



This is the largest species of the genus, the plasmodiocarps reach- 

 ing 1-6 mm. in length and from 0.5-0.7 mm. wide. Somewhat re- 

 sembling some species of Ophiotheca, but of much darker color. 

 The outer peridium is deciduous, and the inner slowly ruptures, by 

 irregular fissures discharging the spores. The Plasmodium, according 

 to Schrader, is white; Lister says dull yellow or rose colored. Rare. 

 Probably overlooked. 



Any good reason for changing the name given to this form so well 

 illustrated and described by Schrader does not appear. Persoon quotes 

 his predecessor's species and adds L. flexuosa on his own account; 

 strangely enough, since Schrader expressly describes L. variabilis, 

 "In uno eodemque enim loco peridium hemisphaericum, ovatum, 

 oblongum, flexuosum vel aliter formatum diversi est diametri." 



Licea flexuosa Pers. is reported by Schweinitz from Pennsylvania. 

 It is described as having brown spores, 10-15 fx, spinulose. 



Nova Scotia, Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, South 

 Dakota, Washington; Europe. 



2. Licea tenera J aim 



Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Ges. 36 : 665, pi. 18, figs. 4-6, 1919. 



Sporangia sessile on a constricted base, subglobose or ovoid, 0.3- 

 0.4 mm. in diameter, bright yellow-brown; sporangium wall trans- 

 parent, yellow-brown, almost free from refuse matter; dehiscence 

 irregular; spores pale olive-yellow, minutely spinulose, with a thin 

 area on one side, 10-12 /x. 



Very close to L. variabilis but differing in the sporangiate rather 



