Rev. M. J. Berkeley and Mr. C. E. Broome on British Fungi. 1 89 



perithecia globose, black, finely areolated, covered, with the ex- 

 ception of the orbicular, multisulcate ostiolum, with a white filmy 

 veil. Asci linear ; sporidia elliptic, subnavicular, brown. 



Of this most beautiful species we can find no trace. Its ostiolum, 

 which resembles the stigma of a poppy, being separated by an 

 abrupt line from the perithecium, is much like that of S. decipiens, 

 Dec, though less deeply umbilicated ; but the perithecia, though 

 crowded, do not form a confluent mass, but are distinct, not rigid, 

 and far more delicate, not to mention other obvious points of 

 distinction. Its external resemblance to S. pulvis pyrius is 

 rather apparent than real ; the sporidia in that species are trisep- 

 tate. This species appears more naturally associated with the 

 DenudatcE, though there is certainly some brown byssoid matter 

 from which the perithecia grow. 



Plate VII. fig. 14. a. Plant nat. size; b. perithecia as seen from above 

 and laterally magnified ; c. asci and sporidia highly magnified. 



613. S. appendiculosa, n. s. Peritheciis sparsis globosis sub 

 epidermide nigrefacta polita maculis minoribus orbiculatis centro 

 pertusis nidulantibus ; sporidiis ovato-lanceolatis appendiculosis. 

 On dead twigs of bramble. 



Perithecia globose, scattered, nestling under small orbicular 

 black shining specks, and penetrating them by the ostiolum, 

 round which there is often a little white meal. Sporidia ovato- 

 lanceolate, at first hyaline with an apiculate process, which gra- 

 dually separates by a constriction and ultimately falls ofi^. 



Resembling closely S. tomicum, Lev., but diftering materially 

 in the much larger and more highly developed sporidia. S. cly- 

 peata, Nees, again is externally very close, but the sporidia are 

 triseptate, the endochromes being all drawn from the concave to 

 the convex side. /S. chjpeiformis, De Not., is the same thing. 

 S. clypeata, Fries, no. 398, is very diiferent in habit, being much 

 smaller and confluent, with torulose triseptate sporidia. We have 

 also an unpublished sjiecies from Dr. Montague, in which the 

 perithecia are strongly collapsed. 



Plate VII. fig. 20. Asci and sporidia of Spharia appendiculosa highly 

 magnified. 



614. S. culmifraga, Fr. Syst. Myc. vol. ii. p. 510. 



Two very distinct varieties of this species are published by Des- 

 mazieres. A third has occurred at Rudloe more highly developed, 

 the perithecia crowded and slightly hispid, and the acute ostiola 

 elevating the cuticle. We have seen foreign specimens marked 

 S. trichostoma, with the description of which, however, our plant 

 does not agree. In all the three varieties the sporidia are curved, 

 fusiform, and multiseptate, one of the articulations sometimes 

 projecting beyond the rest, like the band on the body of the 

 common earth-worm. 



