125 



ON PEZIZA BRUNNEA, A. ^ S. 

 Btj M. C. Cooke. 



It is very difficult to determine with accuracy many of the 

 species of fungi described by old authors in the absence of 

 authentic specimens. When specific characters depend nearly 

 entirely on microscopic features, the difficulty becomes almost an 

 impossibility. Since the species of Peziza have been subjected to 

 microscopical examination, the limits of species have been more 

 clearly defined, and it is by no means unusual to find that two or 

 three forms, greatly resembling each other in external features, but 

 widely different in fruit, have been confounded together under one 

 name. An instance of this kind we had occasion to point out a 

 short time since in the case of Peziza calycina, and now a difficulty 

 presents itself as to the Peziza brunnea, Alb. & Schw. 



In this instance we have a Peziza belonging to the group Sar- 

 coscypha and a close ally of Peziza hemispherica, but much smaller. 

 A careful perusal of the description given in the Conspectus, com- 

 bined with the coloured figure, will convey a pretty accm'ate idea of 

 the external features of this Peziza. It is from one to three lines 

 broad, of an elegant brown colour, clad externally with scattered 

 fascicles of hairs, but not truly ciliate, of a cajspitose habit, ex- 

 panded when mature, with the margin inflexed. For a long time, 

 and by many authors, a small Peziza has been referred to this 

 species, which Dr. Eehm has called Peziza gregaria, and Dr. 

 Nylander Peziza hemisphcerica var. minor. Doubtless it was this 

 which was published by Desmazieres (No. 1312) as Peziza hrunnea, 

 and since then many have followed his example. It was this form 

 which we had in view as Peziza hrunnea when the " Handbook of 

 British Fungi" was written. 



There are some features in which the above-named species 

 corresponds with the Peziza bi'umiea, A. & S. ; but sufficient 

 attention was not paid to their figure, which has a brown hyme- 

 nium, and, also, to that important phrase in the description, " uni- 

 color, eleganter brunnea," whereas, in the Peziza gregaria, Rehm, 

 the disc is of a livid or pale watery grey, and not in the least 

 brown. At a period when the colour of the disc in Peziza was re- 

 garded as alone of specific value, it would not have been possible 

 for Schweinitz to have described and figured a species with a brown 

 disc, when it really had a pallid one. Hence we cannot regard the 

 Peziza gregaria, Rehm, as the Peziza hrunnea, A. & S 



It is very probable that the Peziza proximella, Karst. (Monogr. 

 p. 125), Peziza hcemispherica var. /3, proximella, Karst. (Myc. Fenn. 

 p. 69), is the same as the Peziza hrunnea, Desm. (not A. & S.), and 

 the Peziza gregaria, Rehm, A comparison of the figure given by 

 Sowerby (pi. 369, fig. 1) as Peziza hghrida will be found to corres- 

 pond with Alb. & Schw. figure of Peziza hrunnea, and not with 

 Peziza gregaria. 



11 



