384 Transactions of the Society. 



XII. — The Genus Bavenelia. 

 By M. C. Cooke, M.A., LL.D. 



(^Read Uth April, 1880.) 

 Plate XI. 



The life-liistory of minute plants, especially when they cannot be 

 studied in their native country, can only be obtained after many 

 observations, and by the gradual accumulation of small facts. 

 Bavenelia is one of the genera of microscopical fungi which is 

 scarcely known except systematically, or from its one phase of 

 mature specimens dried and preserved in herbaria. 



In the year 1853 the Kev M. J. Berkeley first announced in the 

 ' Gardeners' Chronicle ' his discovery of two new species of fungi 

 which he called Bavenelia Indica and Bavenelia glandulosa. The 

 characters of the genus were not given, and, as far as we are 

 aware, have never been published to this day. As to the structure 

 of these new fungi, all was included in the following paragraphs: — 

 " The glandular bodies consist of a large umbrella-shaped dark cap, 

 often '004 inch across, composed of a number of closely packed 

 cells supported by a long, hyaline, delicate, and apparently com- 

 pound stem, round the top of which are suspended a circle of 

 elongated hyaline bodies, calling to mind in point of arrangement 

 the appendages in some species of Medusse, or in general appear- 

 ance the fruit of some Marehantia." These observations refer to 

 the Indian species, which was called Bavenelia Indica. Afterwards 

 it is added, " In the South Carohna species, on the contrary, 

 the peduncle is shorter and the appendages are united by their 

 sides into a solid mass." Although the latter is called Bavenelia 

 glandulosa, it is the same as was subsequently called Bavenelia 

 glandulseformis. 



The next mention of Bavenelia occurs in 1857, when the above 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XI. 



Fig. 1. — Side view of capitule of R. glandulaformis. 



„ 2. — Protospores ( Uredo) of the same. 



,^ 3. — Side view of capitule of R. Indica. 



„ 4. — Upper view of capitule of R. Hohsoni. 



„ 5. — Protospores of the same. 



„ 6. — Capitule of R. sessilis, seen from above, 



„ -7. — Capitule of R. stictica. 



„ 8. — Protospores of the same. 



„ 9. — Capitule of R. glabra. 



„ 10. — Protospores of the same. 



„ 11. — Capitule of R. aculeifera. 



„ 12. — Individual cells, or pseudospores of the same species. 



„ 13. — Diagrammatic representation of the structure of the capitule. 



„ 14. — Germinating pseudospores. 



All the figures are uniformly maguiticd 500 diameters. 



