46 CLASSIFICATION OF THE SPHiERlACEI. 



The genus Valsa is divided into sections after Nitschke : — Euty- 

 pella, Euvalsa, and Leucostoma. It contains some 35 species, 

 although many members of the old genus Valsa are now located in 

 fresh genera. Thus : — 



Valsa tilise, Tul. = Hercospora tilice, Tul. 



tale la, Fr. = Aglaospora taleola, Tul. 



leiphemia, Fr. = Cryptospora liphcema, Tul. 

 feuestrata, B. & Br. = Fenestrella princeps, Tul. 



vestita, Fr. = Thyridium vestitum, Fckl. 



detrusa, Fr. = Diaporthe detrusa, Fckl. 



pulchella, Fr. = Calosphceria princeps, Tul. 



quaternata, Fr. = Quatemaria Persoonii, Tul. 



leucostoma, Fr. = Valsa Persoonii, Nke. 



The genus Diaporthe (Nitschke) partakes in some degree of 

 the characters of Valsa and Diatrype, and also includes a number 

 of the Caulicolous Sphajrias, it being the most extensive genus 

 amongst the Compositi. In it we find Diatrype pyrrhocystis, 

 strumella, inasqualis, Valsa syngenesia, Innesii, Sphreria lirella, 

 pardalota, vepris, and rostellata. 



Cryptosphceria, the genus originally proposed by Greville, re- 

 ceives Sp. millepunctata. Of the species usually included under 

 Dothidea, those found upon living leaves and grasses are placed in 

 Phyllachora ; Rhopogrcqihus receives D. filicina ; Homostegia, D. 

 Piggotii ; Melanops, D. melanops ; while the genus Dothidea is 

 reserved for such species as D. rosas and ribesia. The old genus 

 Rhizomorpha is revived, and in it is .placed Thamnomyces hip- 

 potrichioides, with a new species allied to it. 



The Fimicoli, or, as they might be called, the Coprophilew, are 

 divided into three groups. In the first the sporidia are without 

 appendages. Cop>rolepa, a genus somewhat analagous to Hypoxylon, 

 in possessing a more or less distinct stroma, and Hypocopra, have 

 their simple, dark brown sporidia enveloped in a gelatinous coating. 

 In this latter genus is placed Massaria fimeti and Sp. stercoraria. 

 Of the other members of this group Delitschia has uniseptate, Sjw- 

 rormia, tetraseptate, and PI eophragmia, polyseptate sporidia. 



The second group have their sporidia appendiculated at one 

 extremity. It consists of two genera — Malinvernia and Sordaria. 

 Cercophora is the name given to a new genus, the members of which 

 have their sporidia appendiculated at both extremities. Xylaria 

 pedunculata is for some reason not classed with the Fimicoli, 

 although, as Mr. Berkeley has long since indicated, it is closely 

 allied to Sp, stercoraria. 



The point upon which our arrangement is most open to modifica- 

 tion certainly is, the great size of the genus Sphagna, especially 

 with regard to the number of species included under the Obtectce, 

 and as there are few more convenient genera than Pleospora, Eha- 

 pidospora and Gnomonia, we can but think their adoption would 

 prove advantageous ; while the host of minor genera, which various 

 crypto garnists have from time to time proposed, averaging, as 



