LYCOPERDON 33 



consisting of long, conical warts, separate at the base and often 

 coalescent at their apices, white, then ochraceous, and finally brown- 

 ish, surrounded at the base of the warts by a ring of minute, mealy 

 warts ; the warts on the upper portion of the peridium disappear with 

 age and weathering and then the pale brown inner peridium presents 

 a net-like appearance from the persistent rings of darker brown, mealy 

 warts. Mouth simple, apical, torn. Gleba olivaceous, then violet, or 

 brownish purple, compact. Sterile base about one-third of the 

 peridium, sometimes very small, cellular. Spores purple umber, 

 echinulate, globose, 4-6/A. Capillitium purplish, much branched, 

 branches pointed, 3-4JU, in diam. Woods and plantations, especially 

 beech. March Nov. Uncommon, (v.v.) 



37. L. Hoylei Berk. Hoyle. 



Pe. 3-4 cm., brownish, subglobose, ovate, or subpyriform; exo- 

 peridium consisting of long, pyramidal warts, separate at the base, 

 coalescent at the apices, ochraceous at first, then brownish, at the 

 base of the larger warts surrounded by a ring of minute, dark brown 

 warts, that give a net-like appearance to the paler inner peridium 

 when the larger warts fall away. Mouth small, irregularly torn. Gleba 

 olivaceous, then purplish, compact. Sterile base, bright olive, compact. 

 Spores purple, verrucose, globose, 5/i. Capillitium yellowish, sparingly 

 branched, flexuose, uneven, 4-5 /z in diam. Amongst leaves in woods. 

 Oct. Dec. Rare, (v.v.) 



38. L. atropurpureum Vitt. Vitt. Mon. Lye. t. 2, fig. 6. 



Ater, black; purpureum, purple. 



Pe. 2-5-6 cm., greyish, or brownish, yellowish towards the base, sub- 

 globose, or pyriform, sessile, or attenuated into a stem-like base, 

 often plicate below, thin, soft, flexible; exoperidium consisting of 

 long, thin, brownish spines, often coalescent at their apices, becoming 

 shorter towards the base, brittle, falling away and exposing the 

 smooth, somewhat shining, light brown, or purplish endoperidium. 

 Mouth small, irregular. Gleba olivaceous, then brownish and finally 

 dark purple. Sterile base cellular, shallow, rarely reaching a third of 

 the peridium. Spores dark purple, strongly verrucose, globose, 

 sometimes pedicellate, 5-7 /A. Columella globose. Capillitium 

 branched, 4-6jii in diam. Oak woods and heaths. Sept. Nov. 

 Uncommon, (v.v.) 



39. L. mnbrinum Pers. Pers. Icon. Pictae, t. 18, fig. 3. 



Umbrinum, umber colour. 



Pe. 2-5-5 cm., umber, obovate, or pear-shaped ; exoperidium densely 

 covered with long, brown, slender spines, that are generally con- 

 nivent by twos at their acute apices, simple at the base and -arising 



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