446 FUNGUS-FLORA. 



Specimen named by Fries examined ; also a specimen de- 

 termined by Berkeley. 



Closely resembling 0. leporina in the curved paraphyges, 

 but distinguished by the ascophore being irregularly plicate 

 and not distinctly and evenly ear-shaped, and more especially 

 by the spongy structure of the excipulum, the interwoven 

 hyphae leaving large, more or less polygonal spaces which 

 might at first be mistaken for the cells of a parenchymatous 

 tissue. The entire substance is brittle and rather watery^ 

 and usually assumes a yellowish tint when bruised. Smell 

 and taste almost none. 



Sometimes the ascophores are closely crowded, hence irre- 

 gular and much contorted, and resembling a fuliaceous 

 Tremella or a small specimen of Sparassis crispa. Such con- 

 ditions are figured by Nees, Syst., fig. 280, and by Berkeley 

 in Gard. Chron., fig. 77. 



Otidea alutacea. Mass. 



Ascophore sessile but contracted at the base, usually 

 clustered, variously contorted, disc tan-colour or smoky, ex- 

 ternally paler or whitish, almost smooth except the base, 

 which is covered with very short, white down, 36 cm. 

 across; excipulum densely parenchymatous: asci narrowly 

 cylindrical, 8-spored ; spores elliptic-oblong, ends obtuse, 

 continuous, 2 guttulate, smooth at first, then minutely verru- 

 culose and with a faint tinge of brown, 1416 X 67 /A, 1- 

 seriate ; paraphyses slender, apex clavate, brownish. 



Peziza alutacea, Pers., Syn., p. 638; Phil., Brit. Disc., 

 p. 61 ; Sacc., Syll., viii. n. 273. 



Plicaria alutacea, Fckl., Symb. Myc., p. 327. 



On the ground in woods. 



Specimen in Fuckel's Fung. Ehen., n. 1229, examined. 



Allied to P. cochleata, but distinguished by the almost 

 glabrous exterior of the ascophore, and more especially by 

 the verruculose, smaller spores. 



Persoon says that the exterior varies to tan-colour, and the 

 disc to smoky with a purple tinge. 



Otidea grandis. Mass. 



Caespitose or solitary, sessile, usually wavy and more or, 

 less plicate, margin entire, rarely divided to the base on one 

 side, but never ear-shaped, 5-7 cm. across, 3-4 cm. high ; 



