208 FUNGUS-FLORA. 



Approaching the genus Cyathicula in the minutely dentate 

 margin of the ascophore, but differing in the soft, watery 

 substance of the ascophore, and in being sessile. 



** On leaves, herbaceous stems, and culms. 



Mollisia atrocinerea. Phil., Brit. Disc., p. 176; 

 Eehm, Krypt.-Flora, Disc., p. 530; Sacc., Syll., n. 1334. 

 (figs. 18-23, p. 156.) 



Scattered or gregarious, sessile on a broad base, very thin 

 and soft, soon becoming quite plane and "with a very narrow, 

 slightly raised, dark brown margin, which is often wavy ; 

 excipulum smooth, dark olive brown, parenchymatous, cells 

 oli\ 7 e, irregularly polygonal, 6-9 p. diameter, becoming 

 arranged in parallel, septate series and a little paler at the 

 margin ; disc plane, pale pearly-grey when moist ; up to 

 -J mm. across ; asci cylindric-clavate, base thickish, 8-spored ; 

 spores biseriate, continuous, smooth, hyaline, straight or 

 slightly curved, cylindrical or with a slight tendency to 

 become clavate or fusiform, 6-8 x 1*5-2 p.; paraphyses 

 cylindrical, hyaline, about 2 mm. thick. 



Peziza atrocinerea, Cooke, Brit. Fung., ser. i., exs., n. 382. 



Peziza atrata, var. polygoni, Cke., Brit. Fung. i. 284. 



On stems of Polygonum (Cooke's type) in Britain. Said to 

 have occurred on Galium, Humex acetosa, Oenotltera biennis, 

 Sium latifolium, Anthriscus sylveslris, Valeriana officinalis, 

 Dipsacus, and Solidago on the continent. 



Type specimen examined. 



The present species appears to be identical with Mollisia 

 polygoni, Rehrn, Krypt.-Flora, Disc., p. 527. I can find no 

 difference between Eehm, Ascom., nos. 70 a c, and Cooke's 

 type specimen. 



Mollisia atrata. Karsten, Myc. Fenn., i. p. 200; 

 Phil., Brit. Disc., p. 181 ; Eehm, Krypt.-Fl., Disc., p. 529. 



Gregarious, sessile, at first globose and closed, then cup- 

 shaped, finally almost plane, about |- mm. across ; hymen ium 

 whitish or pale-grey, externally gla*brous, often more or less 

 distinctly vertically wrinkled, brown with an olive tinge or 

 greyish, margin paler; excipulum parenchymatous, cells of 

 cortex polygonal or almost circular near the base, 6-8 ft 



