CLATHRUS DELICATUS (Fig. 132). The 

 most delicate an:l unique little Clathrus ever discovered 

 is Clathrus delicatus of Ceylon. But one collection is 

 known (now at Kew) which was made in 1868 at Pera- 

 deniya, growing "on rotten cocoanut husks." The 

 gleba adheres in little globules to the angles of the 

 meshes. Some idea of the diminutiveness of this unique, 

 little species can be gained from our figure (132) which 

 is an enlargement (four diameters) of the type speci- 

 mens at Kew. Berkeley described but did not figure it. 



SIMBLUM SPH.EROCEPHALUM (Fig. 133). 

 132. The genus Simblum can be described in a few words 



as being a Clathrus on a stem. At present there are 

 four species known : Simblum periphrag- 

 moides, the original species from Mauritius, 

 which was published and well illustrated by 

 Hooker; Simblum gracile, which appears to 

 be common in Ceylon and the East Indies 

 and is very similar to the preceding but much 

 more slender ; Simblum sphaerocephalum, 

 very common in South America and very 

 rare in North America ; and Simblum Tex- 

 ense, which Mr. Long finds abundant in 

 Texas, but which has not yet been pub- 

 lished. 7 It is very close to Simblum sphsero- 

 cephalum but is yellow instead of red. Sim- 

 blum sphaerocephalum is well illustrated in 

 the photograph we present herewith (Fig. 

 133) which was made by Rev. J. Rick, Bra- 

 zil. The specimen is evidently abnormal, 

 having two stems and a single head. It is an 

 excellent photograph and gives a good idea 

 of the clathrate structure of the receptacle. 

 It is a very common plant in South America, 

 as is evident in all literature. 8 It usually has 

 a red stem, as the names that have been ap- 

 plied to it, "rufescens" and "coccinea," indi- 

 cate. Rev. Rick states that it sometimes has 

 a white stem in his locality. In North 

 America it is exceedingly rare. We have 

 given in Mycological Notes, page 220, all 

 Fig. 133. the stations known to us. 9 



7 " Dictybole Texense, new genus, Atkinson," I am informed is based on this species. 



8 Rev. J. Rick, Brazil, writes me : " It is very common here, and has a variety of forms and 

 colors as white and flesh color. I have collected both colors from the same mycelium." 



9 Viz: Long Island, N. Y., Gerard; Nebraska, J. M. Bates; Kansas, E. E. Bartholomew; 

 (Washington, D. C., W. H. Scudder ; Talbot County, Maryland, Charles Mcllvame. No other lo- 

 icalities have been reported in answer to our request on page 220. We beg to ask again if any 

 one knows of additional localities that he will write us and favor us with the data. 



297 



