Dothidea.] FUNGI. 2S5 



not accord with a species described by Montagne in the new series of 

 the Annales des Sciences Naturelles, nor as it appears to me with the 

 present species, so far as I can judge from specimens gathered from 

 twenty to forty years ago, the substance being merely more loose inter- 

 nally, 1 have omitted it in the generic character. The perithecia are 

 either sessile or very shortly pedicellate, clothed with a close indistinct 

 tomentum varying in shape from globose to ovate, and in one very per- 

 fect individual 1 have observed a distinct very obtuse papilleeforni 

 ostiolum. They appear at first to consist of an uniform grumous mass, 

 in the centre of which a round cavity is at length formed, with a rather 

 broad, white border, confluent with and continued from the stroma, 

 which gradually decreases until little more is left than the black bark. 

 The cavity is traversed by a few mucedinous threads which are proba- 

 bly extraneous, and contains numerous elliptic chocolate-brown sporidia 

 with a pellucid border and other colourless, minute, elliptic bodies, 

 which are probably the sporules. The above description, though neces- 

 sarily imperfect, shows very clearly that this highly curious plant is 

 not to be rejected with tlie mass of RhizomorphcB as a mere barren 

 Mycelium. It is, however, highly desirable that its fructification should 

 be observed in fresh individuals ; in which, if the above account should be 

 confirmed, there can be no doubt that it is an European representative 

 of the South American genus Thamnomyces. 



63. Dothidea. Fr, Dothidea. 



Nuclei contained in the cells of a common stroma ; perithecia 

 obsolete. Asci erect, subpersistent. — Name from 5o^/7j/, a 

 tumour, and £/6o?, resemblance. 



1. D. ribesia, Pers. (^Currayii-branch Dothidea); erimipent 

 subelliptic depressed black, of the same colour within, cells 

 very small white seated near the surface. Fr. Syst. Myc. v. 2. 

 p. 350. Scler. Sitec. n. 100. — Sph. ribesia, Pers. Syn. p. 14. 

 Mouy. Sf Nest. n. 21b. Nees, Syst. /. 312. Johnst. Ft. Bene. 

 2. p. 123. — Stromatosphccria ribcsia, Grev. FL Fd. p. 357. 



On dry branches of the Red Currant. Very conunon. 



2. D. typhina, Pers. (reed-mace Dothidea) ; elono^ated innate 

 in the sheaths of grasses surrounding' the stem dirty-white, 

 soon orauire-yellow, at length granulated from the projecting 

 ostiola. Fr. Syst. Myc. v. -2. p. 553. — Spk. typhina, Pers.! Syn. 

 p. 29. Ic. et bescr. t. l.f. 1. 3IoHy. 6; Nest. 7i. 71). Fr..' Scler. 



Succ. em. n. 37 S. spiculifera. Sow. ! t. 274. Purt. v. 2. c^- 3. 



n. 1 1 06. — Stromatosphccria typhina, Grev. Sc. Crypt. Fl. ^204 — 

 Polystigma typhinum, Dec. I. c. p. 33S. Grev. F'l. Fd. p. 3G5. 



()n living grasses. Summer. Very common The curious spicu- 



late ap[)carancc in Sowcrby's plant arises from the protrusion of the 

 extremely elongated asci. In the present and two following species, 

 true, thongh delicate, perithecia are present, and in consecjueiice they 

 would be n)uch belter consiilercd as Sjdurria. l^Vies, it shoultl 

 seem, inelines now to this opinion, as in his new issue of ihied Tnngi it 

 is arranged amongst the Sj)hcuri(C, in the division 0/)frc/iC. At least 

 so it is in my co[)y. As regards the two following species, true 



