A MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS PODAXIS DESV. (= PODAXON FR.). 37 



small sinuous cavities, bounded by thin tramal-plates having their 

 free surfaces completely covered with large, obovate, four-spored 

 basidia. In Cauloglossum proper the base of the peridium does not 

 break away from the central axis at maturity, the dispersion of the 

 spores taking place only after the decay of the entire fungus, as in 

 most, if not all, of the members of the Hymenogastrea. 



The genus Secotium agrees in detail with Cauloglossum in the 

 structure of the gleba, but in Secotium the gleba, instead of being 

 elongated and clavate, as in Caulogiossum, forms a flattened 

 expansion bent down all round the stem. Intermediate structures, 

 with a similar gleba and central axis, connect the two last so-called 

 genera. Berkeley's genus Polyplocium proves on examination of 

 the type- specimen to be closely allied to Montagnites. Numerous 

 specimens in the Kew and British Museum Herbaria, at present 

 named and arranged according to the Friesian method, prove that 

 the whole group at present known as the Gastromycetes requires a 

 thorough revision ; this can only be done by a careful examination 

 of individual specimens, and not by a rearrangement, taking the 

 already accepted names and descriptions as a basis, as has been 

 done in Saccardo's ' Sylloge.' Cauloglossum JEgypticum of the last- 

 named work is a true Podaxis. 



Keturning to Fischer's statement, the case is quite different 

 the species figured is undoubtedly that known as Podaxon card- 

 nomalis Fries, and the clavate structures that I have described as 

 asci in Podaxis indica are considered as basidia, and drawn with 

 four spores springing from the apex. It is difficult to realize that 

 two funguses resembling each other so closely in every other 

 respect, that from external characters alone would undoubtedly be 

 considered as being the same species, should belong to the Basidio- 

 mycetes and Ascomyeetes respectively, as would be the case assuming 

 both observations on the origin of the spores to be correct, and yet 

 every worker with specimens must know how treacherous general 

 resemblances prove in many cases, and even in the seven known 

 species of Podaxis we meet with other remarkable differences, 

 certainly not so important as the above, nevertheless such as would 

 hardly be expected in a small genus, as the presence of a copious 

 capillitium in some species, and its rudimentary condition or total 

 absence in others, or the difference in origin of the spores, which 

 can perhaps be explained by assuming that the existing known 

 species represent the two poles of a once larger genus, and some 

 colour is given to this idea when we take into consideration the very 

 wide geographical range combined with the comparative rarity 

 of existing species. 



I have had no opportunity of examining young spirit-preserved 

 material of P. carcinomalis, but this is one of the commonest species 

 in herbaria, and I have devoted a considerable amount of time in 

 examining dry material in various stages of development, and 

 I invariably find dense tufts of what I take to be asci, as represented 

 in fig. 10 ; when dry, and for some time after being placed in water, 

 the clavate bodies are shrivelled, as in fig. 4 a a, but after soaking 

 for some time they become inflated, and in spite of prolonged and 



