216 THE JOURNAL OP BOTANY 



more fully given by the same author in his Histoirc et Classifica- 

 tion des Discomycetes cVEurope (1907). According to Boucher the 

 principal characters are the terrestrial habit and the size of the 

 fungus, which can reach as much as 12 mm. The species are 

 thick, shortly stipitate, having somewhat the appearance of oper- 

 culate species, though they are inoperculate. The hymenium is 

 more or less surrounded by a dentate margin. The exterior of the 

 receptacle is subtomentose. The inoperculate asci are remarkably 

 small, eight-spored, with a raarginate pore. The paraphyses, 

 which are fairly slender, are filled with oil globules, united some- 

 times into masses. The spores are fusiform and contain oil 

 drops, which are accompanied or not by granulations. (The 

 genus Discinella of Karsten {Hedwigia, 1891, 30, p. 301) is 

 different from Boudier's genus : " est Discina Fr. em. apotheciis 

 minoribus," and the species described, D. corticaUs, is not 

 terrestrial.) 



The species of Discinella which have been recorded in this 

 country are D. purpurascens (Pers.) Boud., D. exidiiformis (B. et 

 Br.) Boud., and D. Menzicsii Boud. The last-named species was 

 described and figured in Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 1913, iv. p. 62, 

 as Calijcella Menziesii, from specimens sent from Perth by Mr. J. 

 Menzies. Boudier, in the same publication, 1914, p. 323, places 

 the species in the correct genus. At the end of last year Mr. D. 

 Garnett found this fungus at Silchester, growing amongst moss 

 and usually under Ulex, and brought it to me for identification. 

 As the fungus appeared suitable for cytological investigation, 

 several collections were obtained, and an attempt was made to 

 find young stages. In the search numerous very small bodies 

 were met with which, on examination, proved to be mature 

 apothecia. These specimens were kindly brought to me for 

 examination, Mr. Garnett fully realizing the close similarity these 

 fructifications had to those of 1). Menziesii. The fungus is 

 apparently new, and is distinguished from its allies by the 

 exceptionally small size of the apothecia. It would be included 

 by Saccardo in the genus Humaria. 



Discinella minutissima Ramsb. et Garn. — Minutissima sub- 

 stipitata, isabellina, 300-400 /x lata, carnosa, crassa, margine non 

 prominulo, obtuso ; stipite obconico, crasso ; paraphysibus tenui- 

 Idus, 2-3 /x crassis, oleosis, simplicibus, filiformibus, ad apices non 

 aut vix incrassatis, hyalinis ; ascis inoperculatis minoribus octo- 

 sporis, foramine marginato, cylindrico-clavatis, 40-50 /x x 4-5 jj., ad 

 basim vix attenuatis, ad apicem iodo non caerulescentibus ; sporidiis 

 oblongo-fusiformibus, hyalinis, levibus, continuis, stepe leniter cur- 

 vatis, 7-8 /x X 2fx, intus guttulosis et granulosis, guttulis SEepius 

 3 majoribus, granulis minoribus. 



Ad terram argillosam in Silchester, Hants, x\pril 22, 1914. 



