cribraria] heterodermaceae 181 



and connected by five to eight very slender threads. Stalk 

 subulate, two to four times the height of the sporangium, 

 dark brown. Spores ochraceous, nearly smooth or faintly 

 warted, 5 to 6 /x diam. — Rost. Mon., p. 237 ; Mass. Mon., 59 ; 

 Macbr. N. Am. Slime-Moulds, 166. C. dictydioides Macbr. 

 I.e., 165, in part. 



Var. dictydioides Lister : cup almost or quite obsolete ; 

 the nodes in the lower part of the net elongated and confluent, 

 forming ribs converging to the apex of the stalk. — Cribraria 

 dictydioides Cooke & Balf. in Rav. N. Amer. Fung., no. 475 ; 

 Mass. Mon., 65 ; Macbr. N. Am. Slime-Moulds, 165. 



PI. 143. — a, b. sporangia after dispersion of spores ; c. part of net and cup of 

 sporangium (Borneo); d. sporangium after dispersion of spores, var. dictydioides 

 (South Carolina ; type of C. dictydioides Cooke & Balf.) ; e. spore and plasmodic 

 granules. 



This species is abundant in the United States and in the warmer parts 

 of the world ; it appears to be less frequent in Europe, and the typical 

 form has only been met with in hot-houses in the British Isles ; forms 

 intermediate between C. intricata and C. aurantiaca are however not 

 uncommon in England. The specimens in the Strassburg and Kew 

 Herbaria marked Cribraria Balfourii de Bary, K. 963, 1673, on 

 Sphagnum from the hot - houses of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Edinburgh, are small developments of the var. dictydioides. A nearly 

 similar form has been obtained in orchid-houses at Lamberhurst, Kent, 

 and at Clevedon, Somerset. The last named specimen is quoted by 

 Mr. Massee as G. microcarpa (I.e., 64). 



Hab. On dead wood. — Lamberhurst (B.M. slide) ; Clevedon 



(B.M. slide); Switzerland (B.M. 2741); Italy (B.M. 1948); Ceylon 



(B.M. 2742); New Zealand (B.M. 2743); Java (B.M. 1107); Borneo 



(B.M. slide) ; Japan (B.M. 2014) ; Philadelphia (B.M. 1872) ; Brazil 



(B.M. 2744) ; South Carolina (B.M. 677). 



9. C. tenella Schrad. Nov. Gen. PL, 6 (1797). Sporangia 

 closely resembling C. intricata in size, shape, colour, and 

 spores ; cup one-third the height of the sporangium, or more 

 or less obsolete ; net close, regular ; nodes numerous, dark 

 brown, rounded, rarely elongated, prominent, w r ith few or 

 no free rays, connected by three to six very slender threads. — 

 Rost. Mon., p. 235 ; Mass. Mon., 58 ; Macbr. N. Am. Slime- 

 Moulds, 167. C. data Mass. I.e., 61. 



PL 143. — /. sporangium after dispersion of spores ; g. part of net of sporangium 

 (Ceylon : named by Rostafinski) ; h. part of net and margin of cup (Philadelphia, 

 i. spore and plasmodic granules. 



Both C. tenella and C. intricata are abundant in the United States, 

 where frequent intermediate forms occur. The specimen figured, from 

 Ceylon (K. 1684), referred to by Rostafinski as C. tenella (Mon., 

 App. p. 31), has a small cup, rounded or elongated prominent nodes, 

 with no free rays ; it is similar to the specimens received from Dr. 

 Rex from the United States under that name ; Mr. Massee regards 

 it as a distinct species, C. elata. A very small neat variety of C. tenella 

 with long stalks, and sporangia 0*2 to - 3 mm. diam. with hardly any 

 cup, has been obtained several times in the United States, and also 



M 



