40 



THE GENUS ASCOBOLUS. 



winter and revival in the spring wliicli is characteristic of the otlicr 

 species of the Order. 



THE GENUS ASCOBOLUS. 



M. Bondier has prepared a monograph, ilhistrated with colou'red 

 figures, of all the species of the Jscoholei, which is printed in tlie 

 last parts of the Ann. des Sc. Nat. In the second volume of this 

 Journal (pp. 147-154) is a review of the genus Ascobolus, by Mr. 

 M. C. Cooke, in which 34 species are enumerated, tlie 16 British 

 ones being described. In tlie paper under notice, M. Boudier in- 

 creases the number to 44, which, as he reduces 3 of those in Mr. 

 Cooke's list to varieties, and excludes 9 others, represents an in- 

 crease of 22 species. As no less than 10 of these were discovered 

 by the author in the neiglibourhood of Paris, there can be no doubt 

 that the number would be much extended by further investigation. 

 He has divided the old genus Ascobolus into 6 genera, which are 

 grouped into Ascoholei gemdjii and Jscoholei spurii, as in the an- 

 nexed table : — 



Angelina ? 



Spores with a waxy, co- 

 loured (often violet) epi- 

 spore. ThecEB very pro- 

 minent, so that the disk 

 looks darkly papillose 

 from tlie coloured spores. 

 Ascoholei genuini. 



Receptacle when fresli, 

 tremulous ; when dry, 

 horny, hysteriform. 



Receptacle when fresli, 

 not tremulous ; when dry, 

 variously contracted, but 

 not hysteriform. 



Spores with a membra- 

 nous colourless epispore. 

 Thecse sliglitly prominent, 

 so that the disk looks a 

 crystalline papillose from 

 the liyaline spores. 



Ascoholei spurii. 



ThcciC many-spoi'cd 



Theca3 8- (one 1G-) 

 spored 



' Paraphyses very slen- 

 der, elongated. Thecse 

 long, but broad. Spores 

 free or easily separable, 

 naked, or each furnished 

 with an adiiate or sur- 

 rounding membrane. 



A scobolus. 



Paraphyses slender, as 

 long as the thecae. Thecse 

 short, broad. Spores all 

 provided with a coherent 

 membrane, not easily se- 

 jiai'able. Saccobohts. 



Paraphyses slender, lux- 

 merous, long. Thecse 

 elongated, broad, much 

 exserted. Thecotheus. 



Paraphyses few or very 

 few, often shorter than 

 the thecse. Thecse very 

 wide, often ovate, slightly 

 exserted. Egparohius. 



Ascophamis. 



