ON CORTICIUM AMORPHUM. 137 



From tlie above remarks it is clear that the true character of this 

 fungus was more nearly approached by Persooa than by his suc- 

 cessors. It is true that there is a peculiar coriaceous texture, and 

 other points which would exclude it from Peziza, but it is clearly 

 Discomycetous. There are asci, and nodulose paraphyses, and 

 sporidia, but it is not clear how many of the latter are ultimately 

 perfected in each ascus, as seldom more than two or three can be 

 detected, mixed with a granular plasma, and these have a sub- 

 sphferoid or ovate form. 



From its coriaceous texture, irregular form, as well as some other 

 features, this fungus cannot well be referred to any constituted 

 genus, except such as have been constructed to receive it as the 

 type. These, apparently, are two — the Nodalaria, of Peck (1872), 

 and Aleurodisciis, of Rabenhorst (1874). The claim of priority on 

 the part of Peck is, however, set aside by the fact of Nodularia 

 being appropriated by Karsten, in his " Monographia Pezizarura 

 Fennicarum," pp. 104 (in 1869), for a Pezizoid fungus, found on 

 the bark of Betula. Although he only uses it with the value of a 

 subgenus, it is a prior name. In the next place the characters of 

 Peck's Nodularia are not borne out by his type specimen, for he 

 describes it as " fleshy," which Peziza amorpha is not. His 

 '' spores globose, echinulate," is doubtless an error in examination, 

 for though decidedly granular, the sporidia cannot be characterised 

 as echinulate. Aleurodisciis appears to have the best claim for 

 acceptance, since the original name of Persoon cannot well be 

 retained. 



The last point to which allusion should be made is the position in 

 Discomycetes which Aleiirodiscus should occupy. The limits of 

 Patellariacei and Derniatei are not clearly defined, but it appears to 

 lis that the present genus is somewhat intermediate between 

 Cenangium or Dennatea and Patellaria. 



Mr. Peck has referred a second species to Nodularia, under the 

 name of Nodularia acericola, which is allied to and congeneric with 

 Peziza carpinea, Fr., a species sometimes referred to Patellaria and 

 sometimes to Dermatea. This second species of Nodularia is cer- 

 tainly not congeneric with the first, and we have not hesitated, on 

 examination of an authentic specimen, to call it Dermatea acericola, 

 as an ally of the Dermatea carpinea, Tul. The following, therefore, 

 is our estimate of the synonymy of the species to which this note 

 is specially addressed. 



Aleurodiscus amorphus, Eabh. Fung. Eur. No. 1824. Hed- 

 wigia (1874) pp. 184. 



Peziza amorp)h.a, Pers. Syn., 657 (1801). Moug. & Nest. Exs. 

 398. Myc. Eur. i., 269 (1822). De Cand. FI. Fr. v., 23 (1815). 

 Seer. Myc. iSuis. iii., 303 (1833). 



Thelephora amorjiha, Fries Elenchus, p. 183 (1828). 



Corticium amorphum, Fries Epicr., p. 559 (183S). Fckl. Sym. 

 Myc. p. 28 (1869). 



Corticium (?) amorphum, Fries Epicr. ii. ed., p. 648 (1874). 



