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XXIV. — Synopsis of the Fi'uctification of the Simple Sphserise of the Sookerian 

 Serbarium. By Frederick Currey, Esq., M.A., F.B.S., F.L.S. 



Read May 5tb, 1859. 



In a paper published in the last Part of the ' Transactions' of this Society, I have figured 

 and described the fructification of all the species of compound Spihcerice contained in the 

 Hookerian herbarium, that is to say, of all those species whose fruit was sufficiently 

 perfect. Sir William and Dr. Hooker having kindly afforded me the same facilities for 

 the examination of the other great division of the genus, that is the simple Spharice, I 

 am now enabled to lay before the Society the result of my examination of the remaining 

 species contained in theu* herbarium. I adopt the course pursued in the former paper, 

 of prefixing a short account of the characters of the sections and divisions, as given in the 

 ' Systema Mycologiciuu.' 



Most of the plants described in the present paper belong to the genus Sphceria as 

 limited in Fries' ' Summa Vegetabilium Scandinavise,' but a few are referrible to some of 

 the new genera proposed in that work, and I have noted such of the species as belong to 

 the new genera, and have given the characters of such genera in the notes, as they occur. 



The simple Sphmriai commence with the 5th Section, " Superficiales." 



Section V. Superficiales. — Perithecia free, bicorticate, seated on an efiiised villous subiculum, 

 or altogether superficial. 



Div. 17. BvssiSEDiE. — Perithecia free, glabrous, with a short subpapillaeform ostiolum, seated on 



a tomentose subiculum, formed of densely interwoven threads. 

 Div. 18. V1H.0S.E. — Perithecia ovate or globose, clothed with simple persistent down; ostiolum 



even, subpapillaeform, rarely elongated or obsolete. 

 Div. 19. Denudat^. — Perithecia naked, ovate or globose, glabrous, without any subiculum; 



ostiolum short, subpapilleeform. 

 Div. 20. Pebtusjs. — Perithecia naked, glabrous, flattened at the base, adnate or immersed, pierced 

 by the falling off of the ostiolum. 

 Section VI. Subimmers^. — Perithecia immersed, often erumpent ; ostiolum conspicuous, dilated, 

 or elongated into a neck. 



Div. 21. PlatystomjE. — Perithecia at first covered, then more or less exposed; ostiolum some- 

 what compressed, very broad, opening by a longitudinal fissure. 

 Div. 22. Ceratostom^. — Perithecia at first covered, often surrounded with down, then emerging, 

 naked, free, black, terminated by a beaked cylindrical ostiolum generally longer than the 

 perithecium. 

 Div. 23. Obtect^. — Perithecia immersed in the perennial parts of plants, with a short erumpent 

 neck, which is often dilated at the apex. 

 Section Vll. Subinnat^. — Perithecia innate in the epidermis of the matrix. 



Div. 24. Obturat.e. — Perithecia at first innate, covered by the epidermis, then erumpent, naked, 

 almost superficial, glabrous ; ostiolum naked, papiUaeform or rimosely dehiscent. 

 VOL. XXII. 2 T 



