S.A. MVXOMYCKTIiS. 457 



The MyxDmycetes (in the restricted sense) are of no 

 economic importance. This fact, combined with the small size 

 of the fructifications of most s])ecies and the delicate or evanes- 

 cent nature of the sporangial walls, doubtless accounts for the 

 neglect of the grouj) by collectors of the South African fauna 

 and fiora. 



W'elwitsch. in 1S55, made a small collecti(jn of forms in 

 Angola. Some 22 species have been collected from time to time 

 in the Cape l'ro\ince and Natal, and sent to luu-ope. 3ilany of 

 these are now at Kew or in the British Museum. 



Kalchbrenner jniblished in Grcvillca. in 1882, a list of i^ 

 species collected 1)\ MacOwan and \\'ood. Most of MacOwan's 

 specimens ap])ear to have been gathered in the neighbourhood 

 of Somerset luist. while Wocd's were from Natal. A part of 

 MacOwan's collection is now in Dr. Schondland's ])ossession. 



Mr. Pole Evans has been good enough to allow me to ex- 

 amine the 14 si^ecies l)elonging Xo the Mxcological Herbarium at 

 Pretoria. 



So ifar as I have Ijeen able to ascertain, there are n.o other 

 collections of any size in any of the nui:-eums or herbaria in the 

 countrw 



?il\- own collection, a part of which is now exhibited, in- 

 cludes 16 species not hitherto recorded from Africa, in addition 

 to 24 s])ecies and \arieties apparentlx- new to South Africa, 

 making a total of 40 new reccirds from South Africa. With 

 the excei)tion of a few specimens sent by friends in Natal and 

 Clanwilliam. luost of these species have been found in the 

 Knysna and Stellenljosch districts. 



The following list, which contains 24 genera and y2< -"pecies 

 and varieties, is. T think, a com])lete record of the species so 

 far known from South Africa, and I must here express mv 

 indebtedness to Miss Lister, of the British Museum, for her 

 kind assistance in the determination cif the species — an invaluable 

 hel]) in the absence of type collections and literature. 



Ccratiouiyxa fniticidosa (Macbr. ). 



C. fnificiilosa var. flcxitosa (Lister). 



(". fntliciilosa var. porioidcs (Lister). 



Badliaiiiia iitriciikvis (Berk.). 



B. affinis (Rost). 



P/iysanini incUciiiii (Mass.). 



P. coiitpacfiiiii (Lister). 



P. iiiufabilc ( Lister). 



P. II If deaf mil ( Rex). 



P- roseitm (Berk, and Br.). 



P. pcuctralc ( Rex). 



P. flovicomum (Berk.). 



P. aiiriscalpiHin (Cooke). 



P. viridc ( Pers. ). 



P. viridc \ar. aiiraiilimn (Lister). 



P. piisiUitm (Lister). 



P. nutans (Pers.). 



