?74 FUNGI. [SphcETia. 



SpJicericB belong to the genus Vermicidaria, being characterized by 

 their septate asci. I do not adopt it here, as from a remark of Fries 

 that he has seen tlie septate bodies contained in tubes, its distinction 

 is doubtful. 



172. S. relichia, ¥i\ {hairi/ -grass Sphceria) ; perithecia glo- 

 bose rather firm mouthless black, beset all round with short 

 erect black hairs. Fr. Si/st. Myc. v. 2. p. 505. 



On culms of grass. Stibbington, Hunts. Rev. M. J. Berlieley. — 

 Easily distinguished from S. phceocomes by the hairs not being confined 

 to the apex. 



173. S, Demdtium, Pers. (Dematmm-Uke SphcE^^id) ; gre- 

 garious, perithecia piano-depressed mouthless black, strigose in 

 the centre with somewhat divergent hairs of the same colour. 

 Pcrs. 1 Syn. p. 88. Fi\ Syst. Myc, v, 2. p. 505. Scler, Saec. ! 

 71. 53, 202. 



On stems of herbaceous plants. Elton, Hunts. King's Cliffe, Norths,, 

 jRev. ill. J. Berkeley. — At first covered by the epidermis, through \\hich 

 the hairs penetrate like a little brush, at length naked, the hairs fre- 

 quently falling off. Generally subelliptic. 



174. S. rubella, Pers. (black and red Sphceria) ; scattered, 

 perithecia erumpent subdepressed at length black surrounded 

 by a red stain, ostiolum conic. Pers. Syii. p. 63. Nees,f. 353. 

 Fr. Syst. Myc. v. 2. p. 503. Sclcr. Suec. ! n. 240. Purt. MSS.-^ 

 S. porphyrofjona, Tode, Fung. Meck.f. 72. 



On the stems of herbaceous plants. Common. — Easily known by 

 the reddish or purple spot which covers the portion of the stem on 

 v/hich the Sphceria is produced, andwhich sometimes dyes the /jer?- 

 ikccia. 



175. S. acida, HofFm. {sliarp -beaked Sphmria) ; siihgregari- 

 oiis, perithecia subglobose even black shining, ostiolum beaked 

 straight cylindrical obtuse. Hoff. Veg. Cr. 1. t.5.f.2. Sow. / 

 t. 1 19. Pers. Syn. p, 62. V/ith. v. 4. p. 362. Moug. &> Nest. 1 

 n. 181. Part. ! v. 2 ^- 3. n. 1089. Fr. Syst. Myc. v. 2. p. 507. 

 Scler. Sued n. 118. — Cryptosjyho'ria acuta, Grev. Fl. Ed. 

 p. 360. Sc. Crypt. Fl. t. 239. Baxt. ! Oxf. n. 27.— S. acu- 

 mi?iata, Sow. / t. 394./. 3. 



On stems of herbaceous plants, especially of the common Nettle. 

 Extremely common.— -Casting off the epidermis by means of the ostiola, 

 and, in consequence, at length naked. There is a curious state in 

 Captain Carmichael's collection with the perithecia extremely com- 

 pressed, from being produced between the rigid fibres of some hard 

 stem, apparently of some Mallow. S. acuminata, Sow., according to 

 the preserved specimens, is nothing more than the early stage of the 

 plant before the epidermis becomes loose. 1 have found the present 

 gpecies on the scales o^ Dipsacus. Fries, however, seems to have received 

 something different from Fersoon, for S. Bipsaci. S. curvirostra. Sow., 

 as stated above, is, I believe, a state of S. spiculosa. 



176. S. complandta, Tode, {flattened Sphceria); scattered, 

 perithecia subglobose even black soon collapsed and then piano- 



