160 NEW OR CRITICAL FUN(Jt. 



spores were elliptical, placed it in the genus Mitrula, without, how- 

 ever, giving a diagnosis, but simply stating, " Sporidia elliptic 

 uniseriate." As the fungus under consideration is neither a Spnthu- 

 laria nor a Mitrula, neither does it accord with any hitherto defined 

 genus; it is named after its discoverer, one of the pioneers of 

 N. American botany. 



Spragueola americana Mass. (PI. 357, figs. 8 & 9). Asco- 

 phore subglobose, 1-1'5 cm. broad and high, upper surface coarsely 

 nodulose or lobed, glabrous, everywhere pale ochraceous-tan (when 

 dry), fleshy and solid, internally white ; asci narrowly cylindric- 

 clavate, apex slightly truncate, the pore becoming blue with iodine, 

 straight, 70-75 x 5-6 /x ; spores 8, obliquely 1-seriate, continuous, 

 hyahne, smooth, elliptical, ends obtuse, 6"5-7 X 3*5 /a; paraphyses 

 septate, slender, clavate, about 3 jx tliick at the apex ; excipulum 

 formed of branched hypha; about 25 /a thick and very densely inter- 

 woven ; these become thicker, up to 5 fx, much branched, aseptate, 

 and more loosely interwoven to form the central poriion of the 

 ascophore. 



Mitrula crispata Fr. ; Berkeley in Notices of N. Amer. Fung, 

 no. 704-, in Grev. iii. 142 (1875). 



On the ground, amongst pine-leaves. New England (Sprague, 

 no. 5758). 



Geoglossum lignicolum Mass. (PL 357, figs. 19 & 20). Gre- 

 garious, growing on decayed wood, 4-5 cm. high, entirely black 

 with a purple tinge ; upper half clavate, round or compressed, 

 glabrous and covered by the hymenium, about 3 mm. thick; lower 

 half forming the stem sterile, minutely velvety, equal, usually 

 crooked, slender ; asci clavate, apex rounded and tinged deep blue 

 with iodine, often curved, 150 x 15 /a; spores liuear-clavate, apex 

 thickest, brown, translucent, usually very slightly curved, 7-septate, 

 arranged in a parallel fascicle in the ascus, 8 in number; para- 

 physes straight, clavate, septate, apex tinged olive and about 6 /a 

 thick. 



Growing on rotten wood along with the type specimen of 

 Mitrula vinoka Berk., which it much resembles superficially. Tas- 

 mania [Archer). 



Distinguished by the violet- black colour, and in growing on 

 wood. Geoglossum australe has much longer spores. 



Hypocrella ochracea Mass. (PI. 357, figs. 10-13). Hypo- 

 phyllous or very rarely epiphyllous, gregarious or scattered ; stroma 

 at first subglobose and often slightly constricted at the base, hemi- 

 spherico-depressed and surrounded by a thin border at maturity, 

 3-5 mm. diameter, pale ochraceous or sometimes almost white, 

 firm, glabrous, internally white and composed of slender, densely 

 interwoven hyphae, fixed by a slender central point ; perithecia 

 rather scanty, immersed, broadly ovate, ostiola indicated externally 

 by a minute pore ; asci cylindric-fusiform, apex slightly capitate, 

 narrowed below into a long pedicel, usually curved, not coloured 

 blue with iodine, 250-300 x 13-15 /u ; spores arranged in a parallel 

 fascicle which is slightly twisted on its axis, hyaline, linear, ends 



