physarum] physaraceae 69 



Physaraceae (cf. P. compressum). P. musicola Pers. is referred to by 

 Persoon in Syn. Fung. 171 (1801) as hardly to be distinguished from 

 the somewhat larger species P. nutans : it may therefore be included 

 here, as may also Tilmadoche Pini Rost., which is described as 

 similar to P. nutans but of erect and somewhat larger more robust 

 growth. 



Hab. On dead wood and leaves. — Wanstead, Essex (B.M. 1230) ; 

 Lyme Regis, Dorset (B.M. 1232) ; Sweden (B.M. 2185) ; Germany 

 (B.M. 500) ; Italy (B.M. 498) ; Portugal (B.M. 2186) ; Ceylon (B.M. 

 2187) ; Philippine Islands (B.M. 2034) ; Japan (B.M. 1990) ; Maine, 

 U.S.A. (B.M. 1593) : subsp. leucophaeum—Lyme Regis (B.M. 1233) ; 

 Brentwood, Essex (B.M. 1234) ; Staffordshire (B.M. 1235) ; North 

 Ireland (B.M. 2188): Baden (B.M. 497); Bohemia (B.M. 2189); 

 Australia (K. 500) ; Maine (B.M. 1236). 



35. P. javanicum Racib. in Hedw., xxxvii. 53 (1898). 

 Plasmodium ? Sporangia scattered, stalked, orbicular, 

 flattened or somewhat convex below, umbilicate above, 0*6 

 to OS mm. diam., 0-25 mm. thick, greyish-white ; sporan- 

 gium-wall membranous with evenly distributed lime-granules, 

 fragile and fugacious above with a more persistent base. 

 Stalk subulate, slender, flexuose, 1*5 to 1*8 mm. high, greyish- 

 white or pale straw-coloured above, darker from included 

 refuse matter below. Capillitium a lax network of rather 

 rigid threads with long fusiform and branching white lime- 

 knots, or almost BadhamiaAike and consisting of a network 

 of branching tubes filled with lime-granules and attached 

 to the sporangium-walls by straight hyaline threads. Spores 

 greyish violet, nearly smooth, 10 /x diam. — Penzig Myxom. 

 Buit., 30 (1898). 



PI. 197. — a. sporangia ; b. capillitium, with fragment of sporangium-wall ; c. spore ; 

 (Java) 



This graceful species is said to be common around Buitenzorg and 

 not unfrequent at Tjibodas in the Island of Java. It appears to be 

 closely allied to P. nutans, differing in the shape of the sporangia and 

 the more rigid capillitium. It bears considerable resemblance to 

 Trichamphora pezizoidea Jungh., but the sporangia are more umbilicate, 

 less saucer-shaped, and the colour of the stalks is pale straw-coloured 

 instead of dark red. 



Hab. On dead wood.— Java (B.M. 2190). 



36. P. crateriforme Petch in Ann. R. Bot. Gard. Perad., iv. 

 304 (1909). Plasmodium ? Sporangia scattered or in groups, 

 greyish-white, either cylindrical, obovoid, spherical or 

 reniform, sometimes depressed, stalked or occasionally 

 sessile ; sporangium - wall membranous with clustered 

 deposits of white lime-granules. Stalk conical, black, or 

 black below and white above, opaque from included refuse 

 matter, 01 to 0*7 mm. long. Columella variable in colour 

 and shape, white, yellow-brown or black, cylindrical and 

 reaching to the apex of the sporangium, or ending short 



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