161 



HUNGARIAN GEASTERS. 



By Professor F. Hazslinszky. 



(Plate 47j 



The publication of the British species of Geaster from the " Gar- 

 deners' Chronicle" has induced me to review the Hungarian species 

 of Geaster. Not having succeeded in the cultivation of these re- 

 markable fungi, the development of which is yet very little known, 

 I am obliged to confine myself to those characteristics that have 

 until the present time been most in use. 



Of Myriostoma coliiforme (Dicks.) there is one specimen in 

 the Hungarian National Museum among the cryptogamous plants 

 prepared by Professor Sadler, as it is said, for the continuation of 

 his Flora of Pest ; but the place where it is to be found is not 

 mentioned for any of the cryptogams of Mr. Sadler. 



Plecostoma foznicatum (Huds.j has been collected in the 

 southern parts of the Zips by Mr. Kalchbrenner, Neupauer and 

 myself. The typical form of this fungus as represented in 

 '' Grevillea," Plate xv., fig. 2, is not found in Hungary. In the 

 Hungarian plant is wanting the cylindrical basis of the inner 

 peridium above the stem. In our country there are only the 

 varieties : — 



/3. globosum. — Inner peridium globose ; mouth first conical, 

 ultimately shortly cylindrical ; stem very short, hardly two 

 millim. long. Specimens like those given by Quelet, " Les champig- 

 nons du Juraet des Vosges," Tab. iii., fig. 9, as G. umbilicatus, are 

 very seldom met with in this country. 



y. uzceolatum. — Inner peridium, when the peristome is open, 

 urceolate (pitcher-shaped) chestnut-brown; mouth of a dirty 

 yellow, with a brown margin. Peduncle is wanting, therefore 

 very much like G. lagenseformis ( Vitt.). " Grevillea," Plate xiv., 

 fig. 1 - not " Cooke's Handbook," fig. 113. Outer inverted. 

 Peridium at the top brown, smooth ; below yellowish white, and 

 is connected by the points with its exterior layer on the ground, 

 as is the case in the typical form. Spores globular, smooth 

 ,0,004-0,005 millim. thick. Fig. 5 represents the fungus in its 

 natural size. 



Geaster limbatus (Ih:j among Hungarian botanists known as 

 G. striatus, in every respect agrees with the English fungus. 

 " Grevillea," Plate xvii., fig. 1. As yet collected only by 

 Kalchbrenner in the county Zips. 



G. stziatus (D. C.) distinguished by the membranaceous 

 acuminate lobes of the outer peridium, from which the exterior 

 layer is often separated, as in G. fornicatus, and by its conical, 

 sericeo-striate peristome. But the circular disc is not so distinctly- 

 bordered, as shown in the representation, " Grevillea," Plate xvi. 



VOL. III. 13 



