physarum] physaeaceae 73 



or lobed, with slender brown stalks, and with spores 12 to 15 fx equally 

 spinose all over. In extensive gatherings made by Mr. T. Petch 

 at Peradeniya, Ceylon, where the species is fairly common, the sporangia 

 are either single or massed together in large clusters, the spores average 

 10 jx, and are often facetted with patches of warts separated by smoother 

 tracts somewhat as in P. straminipes. Mr. K. Minakata sends from 

 Japan a specimen (B.M. 2205) similar to the type in every respect, 

 except that the spores show something of " facetting." The type of 

 P.nicarci'jxense Macbr. is very similar to Mr. Petch 's gatherings, but the 

 spores, which measure 9 to 11 ft, have the spinules evenly distributed. 



It appears possible that Physarum fasciculatum Jungh. (Fl. Crypt. 

 Java, 11, pi. 2, fig. 8, 1838, syn. Badhamia fasciculata Rost. Mon., 

 App. p. 2), may have been the present species. It is described as having 

 globose white sporangia, dehiscing irregularly, fugacious above, per 

 sistent below ; stalks connected in clusters of three to six or more, erect, 

 tough, dirty yellowish, attenuated upwards ; capillitium of tubes as in 

 BadJiamia ; spores violet, smooth, 1 1 to 12 /jl. Specimens of P. reniforme 

 gathered in Java by Prof. Penzig and recorded by him as Badhamia 

 fasciculata (Myx. Buit., 18) agree with the above description, except that 

 the sporangia are obconic, and the capillitium is more that of a 

 Physarum, having the large branching lime-knots connected by short 

 hyaline threads. 



Hab. On dead wood.— Ceylon (B.M. 420) ; Japan (B.M. 2205) ; 

 Philippine Islands (B.M. 2044) ; Java (B.M. 2330) ; Nicaragua 

 (B.M. 1010). 



40. P. cinereum Pers. in Roemer N. Mag. Bot., i. 89 

 (1794). Plasmodium watery- white. Sporangia sessile, sub- 

 globose, pulvinate, heaped, crowded or scattered, or forming 

 simple or branched plasmodiocarps, - 3 to 0'5 mm. broad, 

 cinereous, more or less warted or veined with white ; spor- 

 angium-wall membranous with included clusters of white lime- 

 granules. Columella none. Capillitium of branching hyaline 

 threads, with numerous white lime-knots varying in size and 

 shape, sometimes forming a Badhamia-like network with 

 few hyaline threads. Spores bright violet-brown, almost 

 smooth or spinulose, 7 to 10 /x diam. — Rost. Mon., p. 102, 

 figs. 71, 72, 85 ; Mass. Mon., 298 ; Macbr. N. Am. Slime- 

 Moulds, 34. Lycoperdon cinereum Batsch Elench. Fung., 

 155 (1783). Trichia coerulea Trentep. in Roth Catal. 

 Bot., i. 229 (1797) ? Physarum violaceum Schum. Enum. PL 

 Saell., ii. 199 (1803) ? P. plumbeum Pr. Syst. Myc, in. 142 

 (1829) ; Morg. Myx. Miami Valley, 98 (1896) ; Macbr. N. Am. 

 Slime-Moulds, 35. P. capense Rost. Mon., p. 113, fig. 93 

 (1875)? P. scrobiculatum Mass. I.e., 300. Didymium cinereum 

 Fr. I.e., 126. I), scrobiculatum Berk, in Hook. Lond. Journ. 

 Bot., iv. 66 (1845). D. oxalinum Peck in Rep. N.Y. State 

 Mus., xxxi. 41 (1879). 



PI. 47. — a. sporangia (Essex) ; b. capillitium and spores ; c. spore. 



This widely distributed species is often abundant on dead leaves, 

 fir needles, or in heaps of old straw. It appears to merge naturally 



