species, Simblum periphragmoides of Mauritius ' but Hooker's figure, 

 which is well borne out by the specimen now at Kew, differs very 

 much from both of these species, and I think we have three yellow 

 Simblums quite distinct and worthy of names. Simblum flavescens 

 as illustrated by Berkeley from a colored figure by Kurtz (now to 

 be found at Kew) is I think the same as Simblum gracile. 



THAT RED LYSURUS. Mr. Harold Murray, of the Man- 

 chester Museum, of Manchester, England, writes me that the red 

 Lysurus that he found is really white, merely having red arms. Mr. 

 Murray is disposed to refer it to Lysurus Clarazianus of South 

 America. I suspect if we really knew the truth about the matter all 

 ''species" of described Lysurus (except L. Mokusin) would be 

 found to be very much the same thing. 



COLUS HIRUDINOSUS (Figs. 215 and 216). Thanks to Rev. 

 C. Torrend, who sent us alcoholic material, we are enabled to give 

 photographs and enlargements of this phalloid. We have always 

 felt that the familiar figure of Tulasne, usually reproduced, does not 

 represent this plant as well as does the most of Tulasne's work, and 

 the original cut by Cavalier was very poor. As will be seen from the 

 figure, Colus hirudinosus is a clathrate plant, the clathrate receptacles 

 being supported on columns which are reunited at the base into a 

 stipe. Rev. Torrend informs me that he finds specimens almost 

 devoid of a stipe and suggests that the plant might be classed as a 

 Clathrus. It is a small phalloid, our figure 216 representing the 

 natural size of the specimens received in alcohol. The color is bright 

 red and the plant is said to be very slightly foetid. We think our 

 photographs will tell the rest of the story. 



HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION. Colus hirudinosus is only known from 

 the Mediterranean regions 2 . It was first collected in Corsica by a man named 

 Soleirol, in 1820, who sent the specimens to Montague and the specimens are 

 now in Montague's herbarium, labeled in his writing "Clathrus hirudinosus 

 Nobis". It was published by Cavalier and S6chier fifteen years later under the 

 name Colus hirudinosus 3 from specimens that were collected in the vicinity of 

 Toulon, France. Father Torrend finds it, not infrequently, in the vicinity of 

 Lisbon, Portugal. It is known from the Maritime Alps and the Pyrenees and 

 from Algeria and as previously stated was first collected in Corsica. The orig- 



1 It is evidently a rare plant in Mauritius and Chas. O'Connor who is now observing the 

 fungi of Mauritius has not as yet found it. 



2 Notwithstanding that Cooke copied Tulasne's figure and included it in the Australian 

 Handbook there is no evidence that the plant ever grew in Australia. 



3 While the plant is advertised as "Cavalier and Sechier" it is evident to me it should bear 

 the trade name of 'Montague" Cavalier and Sechier were local men who undoubtedly got all 



heir information from Montagne and the fact that they used the specific name on Montague's 

 specimen was surely not a mere coincidence. They did not mention Montagne in their article 

 but took all the credit ? to thems.lves which, however, is customary in such conditions. 



384 



