138 



ON CORTICIUM AMORPHUM. 



Peziza Willkommii, Hartig, Wichtige Krank. der Waldbaume 

 (fide Rabh.). 



Nodulaiia Balsamicola, Peck, in 24th Report of N. Y. State 

 Museum, 13. 96 (1872J. 



Hab. — On the bark of Abies, &c., in Europe and North 

 America. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE FRUIT OF NITOPHYLLUM 

 VERSICOLOR. 



By Mrs. Merrifield. 



Of the British species of Nitophyllum, the fruit of all, with the 

 exception of that of iV". versicolor, is well known. But although 

 this species was discovered so long ago as the year 1800, the 

 fructification was unknown to algologists until 1872 or 1873, when 

 I received from a friend, who kindly divided her only specimen with 

 me, a frond of this plant in fruit. Some time ago I sent a frag- 

 ment, with fruit, of my plant to Prof. Agardh, but I have not yet 

 heard his opinion of it. The fruit being unknown in this country, 

 a brief description of it may perhaps be acceptable. 



The specimen bears coccidia, which are very minute, and are 

 scattered over the lamina of the frond. In size, the coccidium 

 is about equal to four of the polygonal cells of which the surface 

 is composed. The frond is pale in colour ; the fruit appears to 

 be fully ripe, so much so that many of the coccidia were empty. 



I could not succeed in cutting a section ♦of a coccidium, but 

 when pressed between two plates of glass I could distinguish that 

 the spore threads were much branched dichotomously, with wide 

 axils, and appeared to be arranged in tufts. 



Although in some of the English species of Nitophyllum, as in 

 N. jmnctatum and A", laceratum, the spore threads are very slightly 

 branched, none are so much so as those of N. versicolor. In this 

 respect it is nearer to the Australian species A. curdianuni (Phyc. 

 Austr. pi. 151), in whicb, however, the spore threads are more 

 erect and less branched, and the spores are in a chain of two or 

 three on each spore-thread ; whereas in N. versicolor I did not see 

 more than one spore on each thread. 



It will be observed that in this fruitful specimen the calli usually 

 found at the apices of the frond are entirely absent. 



The plant was found in Ilfracombe, in July, some years ago, but 

 was not identified as N. versicolor. 



As the fruit was over ripe in July, it would be desirable to 

 search for fruitful specimens in the latter part of June or begin- 

 nino- of July, when perhaps some algologist may be fortunate 

 enough to find other specimens, and not improbably some bearing 

 tetraspores (Journ. Linn, Soc. yAY., pp. 421j. 



