!(!() Proceedhif/s of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



2. M. dolicJiosponirn, Wilson. 



TluiUus black, opaque or slightly shining, small (2 to 

 5 mm. wide and 2 mm. high), unequal. Apothecia numerous, 

 nearly covering the thallns and concolorous with it, 

 stipitate; epithecia subrufescent, plane or concave, to 1 mm. 

 broad, with rotundo obtuse thai line margin ; stipe some- 

 times 1 mm. long, tapering downwards. TheciB sphseroidal, 

 dispersed in the cellular sidjstance of the epithecium. 

 Spores cylindrical, sim[)le oi- obsoletely septate, arcuate, 

 someiivhat acuminate at a])ices, with minute guttse arianged 

 in the longitudinal axis, -04 x OOG mm. Gran, gonim. 

 •002 to -007 mm. diam., often conglomerate. Texture of 

 thallus fuscous, cellular, cells angular, OOS to '005 mm. diauj. 

 Cells in epithecium spherical. 



Hab. on twigs of Hymenanthera banksii, Maffra. 



The whole ])lant is often covered with the scyphophoroid 

 apothecia standing out in all directions, and of various sizes 

 and stages of development. The epithecium is almost 

 identical in texture with the epithallus, but is geneially 

 concave and slightly rufescent. In old apothecia it is worn 

 into cavities, whicli give it a granulato rugulose appearance. 

 Both thallus and apothecia contaiii granula gonima, usually 

 conglomerate. When a dried specimen is submerged iri 

 water, there arise from it on all sides stieams of minute air 

 bubbles for a considerable time, showing the porous nature 

 of the plant. It does not, however, appreciably increase in 

 size when moistened as the Collemacei do. 



FAMILY III.— LICHENACEI. 



Thallus various in coloui-, white, whitish, cinerascent, 

 flavicant, rufous, fuscous, veiy rarely nigricant, and various 

 in form, filamentous, foliaeeous, sijuamose, ci'ustaceous. 

 pulverulent or evanescent. The gonidial stratum very 

 geneially of ti'ue gonidia. Ajiothecia vaiious in form, 

 .stipitate, lecanorine, peltate, patellulate, lirellate or pyreno- 

 carpous. 



Series I. — Epiconiodei. 



Apothecia with the spi)res naked, collected into a s[)oral 

 mass on the surtace. 



