56 ENDOSPOREAE [PHYSARUM 



PI. 30. — a. sporangia ; 6. capillitium and spores, with fragment of sporangium- 

 wall showing the crystalline discs ; c. two spores showing respectively the strong 

 and delicate reticulation of the two sides. 



Tho only record of this species is a gathering of twenty-seven sporangia, 

 made by Miss A. Hibbert-Ware in dense bush on Stewart Island, New 

 Zealand. It is distinguished from the other known species of Physarum 

 by the strongly reticulated spores. Its nearest ally is, perhaps, P. 

 psittacinum, which it resembles in having orange-red lime-knots, and 

 in the sporangium-wall being studded with orange crystalline discs. 



Hab. On dead wood.— New Zealand (B.M. 2131). 



18. P. viride Pers. in Usteri Ann. Bot., xv. 6 (1795). 

 Plasmodium yellow. Total height about 1 mm. Sporangia 

 stalked, subglobose, lenticular, nodding, 0*3 to 05 mm. 

 diam., yellow ; sporangiuin-wall dehiscing in fragments, 

 membranous, with included clusters of yellow lime- 

 granules more or less closely disposed. Stalk subulate, 

 slender, striate, grey or straw-coloured, sometimes yellow 

 at the apex shading to red below, usually brown in the lower 

 half from enclosed refuse matter, without deposits of lime. 

 Columella none. Capillitium a loose irregular network of 

 slender acutely branching hyaline threads, with fusiform 

 orange lime-knots. Spores brownish- violet, almost smooth, 

 7 to 10 /u diam. — Ditm. in Sturm Deutsch. PL, Pilze, 49, 

 t. 24. Sphaerocarpus viridis Bull. Champ., t. 407, fig. 1 (1791). 

 Stemonitis viridis Gmel. Syst. Nat., ii. 1469 (1791). Physarum 

 aureum Pers. in Roemer N. Mag. Bot., 88 (1794). P. nutans (3 

 viride, y aureum. Fries Syst. Myc, iii. 129 (1829). Trichia 

 viridis DC. Fl. Pr., ii. 253 (1805). Tilmadoche mutabilis 

 Rost. Mon., p. 129 (1875) ; Mass. Mon., 329. T. viridis 

 Sacc. in Michelia, ii. 263 (1880) ; Macbr. N. Am. Slime- 

 Moulds, 59. 



Var. 1. — aurantium Lister : sporangia orange, lime-knots 

 orange, fusiform. Sphaerocarpus aurantius Bull. I.e., t. 484. 

 fig. 2. Stemonitis aurantia Gmel. I.e., 1469. Physarum 

 aurantium Pers. Syn. Fung. 173. P. nutans y coccineum 

 Fr. I.e. P. striatum c aurantiacum Fr. I.e., 131. Trichia 

 aurantia DC. I.e., 



Var. 2. — incanum Lister : sporangia grey or pale-yellowish 

 grey, lime-knots pale yellow, fusiform. Sphaerocarpus luteus 

 Bull. I.e., t. 407, fig. 2 ? Stemonitis bicolor Gmel. I.e., 1469. 

 Physarum luteum Pers. Syn. Fung., 172 (1801). Trichia 

 lutea DC. I.e. 



Var. 3. — rigidum Lister : sporangia yellow or dull orange ; 

 lime-knots long, simple and rod-like, or forked, orange ; hyaline 

 threads often scanty ; spores 9 to 12 p. — Minakata in Bot. 

 Mag. Tokyo, xxii. 318 (1908). 



PI. 31. — a. sporangia (England) ; b. sporangia of var. aurantium (England) ; 

 c. sporangia of var. incanum (England) ; d. capillitium and spores ; e. spore. 



PI. 199. — var. rigidum ; a. sporangia (Japan) ; b. spores and capillitium, with frag- 

 ment of sporangium wall ; c. spore. 



