76 A MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS PODAXIS DESV. (= PODAXON FB.). 



Lycoperdon axatum Bosc. Actes de la Soc. d'Hist. Nat. de Paris, 

 torn. i. pars i. p. 47, plate xi. (but called pi. vi. in the text), (1792). 

 Podaxis senegalensis Desv. Journ. Bot. torn. ii. p. 97. Cionium sene- 

 galense Spreng. Syst. Veg. p. 529. Podaxon calyptratus Fries, Syst. 

 Myc. iii. p. 63 ; Sacc. Syll. No. 170. Podaxon Loandensis Welw. 

 Apont. Fl. Angol. p. 535 ; Welw. & Curr. Trans. Linn. Soc. v. 26, 

 p. 288, tab. 20, f. 5, 6, 7. 



There is an authentic specimen of P. Loandensis from Dr. 

 Welwitsch in Herb. Berk., Kew, No. 4532. 



Peridium 6-8 cm. high ; stem 10-17 cm. long, coarsely fibrous, 

 the fibres in a diffuse spiral owing to the twisting of tbe stem, base 

 very much incrassated ; spores always with an olive tinge. 



Hab. Dry sandy places. Edible. Senegal; Angola (Dr. Wel- 

 witsch); Ugui, E.Africa (Mas. Brit.); Ceylon (Gardiner); Niger 

 Exped. (Barter). 



4. Podaxis Mossamadensis (Welw. & Curr.). — Peridium elliptical 

 or conical when expanded, often irregularly longitudinally rugose, 

 lower margin irregularly torn ; stem elongated, subequal or slightly 

 attenuated upwards, stuffed, base bulbous ; mass of capillitium and 

 spores blackish brown ; capillitium very scanty, threads without 

 spiral markings, 8-9 /x thick ; spores subglobose, deep brown, 

 8-9 /a diameter. 



Podaxon Mossamadensis Welw. & Curr. Trans. Linn. Soc. v. 

 xxvi. p. 288, t. 17, f. 3 (spores), & t. 19, f. 1, 2, 3. 



Type in Herb. Mus. Brit. 



Peridium 7-12 x 4-7 cm., stem 15-27 cm. high, 1-2 cm. thick; 

 the stem is sometimes swollen just within the point of attachment 

 of the base of the sporangium. The minute apiculus on the spore 

 mentioned in the original description is caused by a thickening of 

 the epispore immediately over the germ-pore ; a similar projection 

 is present in every species, but is more pronounced in the present. 

 Characterized by the stout, subequal, stuffed stem with a bulbous 

 base, and the small globose spores. 



Hab. Sandy places. Mossamedes, Angola (Dr. Welwitsch) ; 

 Madeira (Lowe). 



5. Podaxis ^Egyptica (Mont.). — Peridium narrowly elliptical or 

 oblong ; stem subequal, fibrous, more or less twisted, base incras- 

 sated ; mass of spores rusty-brown ; capillitium very scanty ; spores 

 broadly elliptical, dark reddish brown, 11-12 x 9 /*. 



Podaxon jEaypticus Mont. Syll. Cr. No. 1044 ; Corda, Icon. 

 Fung. vi. p. 18, t. 3, f. 44 ; Fischer, Hedw. Heft. i. (1889), pi. i. 

 figs. 3, 4, 5. Cauloglossum ^Eyypticum Sacc. Syll. No. 167. 



Type in Herb. Mus. Par. 



The smallest species known; peridium 4-5 x 2 cm., stem 

 6-7 cm. long. 



Hab. Sandy places. Desert of Gaza, near Suez ; S.W. Africa 

 (Dr. Schinz). 



6. Podaxis Farlowii Mass., n. sp. — Peridium obovate-oblong, 

 apex very obtuse, free basal margin irregularly lacerated ; stem 

 elongated, subequal, often twisted, stuffed, only slightly or not at 



