232 THE MYXOMYCETES 



1797. Tubulifera coccinea Trentep., Roth, Cat. Bot. 1 : 243. 



1797. Licea tubulina Schrad., Nov. Gen. PL 16. 



1797. Licea clavata Schrad., Nov. Gen. PI. 18. 



1799. Tubulina fallax Pers., Obs. Myc. 2 : 28. 



1805. Tubulina cylindrica (Bull.) DC, Fl. Ft. 2 : 249. 



1808. Tubulina fragif era Poiret, Lam. Encycl. 8 : 130. 



1816. Licea fragif ormis (Bull.) Nees, Syst. 107. 



1829. Licea cylindrica (Bull.) Fr., Syst. Myc. 3 : 195. 



1847. Licea iricolor Zoll., Flora 30 : 300. 



1851. Tubulina conglobata Preuss, Linnasa 24 : 40. 



1860. Licea rubiformis Berk. & Curt., Proc. Am. Acad. Arts & Sc. 4 : 125. 



1881. Tubulina nitidissima Berk., Jour. Linn. Soc. 18 : 387. 



1881. Tubulina speciosa Speg., Atti Soc. Critt. Ital., 2 ser. 3 : 62. 



Sporangia crowded, cylindric or prismatic, elongate, connate, more 

 or less distinct above, pale umber-brown, generally simple though 

 occasionally branched above, the peridia thin, sometimes fragile, 

 but generally persistent, transparent, iridescent; hypothallus strongly 

 developed, spongiose, white, often projecting beyond the aethalioid 

 mass of sporangia; spore-mass umber-brown or ferruginous; spores by 

 transmitted light almost colorless, plainly reticulate over three-fourths 

 of the surface, 6-8 /x. Plasmodium colorless, rarely yellow. 



Easily known by its long, tubular sporangia packed with rusty 

 spores and destitute of any trace of columella or capillitium, the 

 hypothallus explanate, rather thick, but not columnar. A single 

 Plasmodium may give rise to one or several colonies, at first watery or 

 white, then red, of somewhat varying shades, then finally umber- 

 brown. These colors were noticed by all the older authors, but very 

 inaccurately; thus a white Plasmodium is the basis for Tubifera 

 cylindrica (Bull.) Gmel., a roseate Plasmodium for Tubifera fragif ormis 

 (Bull.) Gmel., and the mature fructification for Tubifera ferruginosa 

 (Batsch) Gmel. Rostafinski adopted a specific name given by Bulliard, 

 but Batsch has clear priority. 



The peridia are sometimes acuminate, and widely separate above. 

 This is Persoon's Tubulina fragif ormis. In most cases, however, the 

 peridia are connate throughout, and sometimes present above a mem- 

 branous common covering. This is Tubulina fallax of Persoon ; Licea 

 cylindrica (Bull.) Fries. In forms with thicker peridia, the walls often 

 show granular markings. 



Var. complanata Meylan (Bull. Soc. Vaud. 57 : 305, 1931), described 

 from Switzerland, is distinguished by its dark purple-brown color 

 and the great size of its fructifications, which may exceed 50 cm. in 

 length. 



Throughout the northern hemisphere, Brazil; South and West Africa. 



