BOTANY 



Many rare and interesting Hymenomycetes have been recorded in 

 Norfolk, where the deciduous woods of the eastern and central portions of 

 the county, and the fir woods of the western and southern, have each their 

 own special fungal flora. Of the fir woods the fungi are very character- 

 istic : Amanita rubescens, Lactarius rufus, Collybia maculata, Cantharellus 

 aurantiacus, Hydnum auriscalpium, etc, are ever present and abundant. 

 The county is distinctly poor in Cortinarii, only some thirty species 

 being represented out of the total of nearly two hundred recorded in 

 Massee's Fungus Flora. On the other hand Norfolk is famed for its 

 Geasters having nine or ten out of the thirteen recorded for Britain. 

 The grand G. coliformis, which was originally found between ' Gillingham 

 and Earsham ' in the last century, reappeared on a hedge-bank at 

 Hillington in 1880, and has been gathered two or three times since in 

 the same green lane. G. Jimbriatus occurs with us commonly under 

 spruce firs although not confined to this situation, G. bryantii is to be 

 found both on hedge-banks and on the marshes near the sea in west 

 Norfolk. Batarrea phalloides has not been seen here in recent years, but 

 it occurred twice near Norwich in Sowerby's time, and ' W. J. Hooker ' 

 met with it near ' Stoke, Norfolk ' prior to 1836. It is so remarkable a 

 species that mycologists should keep the possibility of its reappearance 

 in mind. Xerotus degener is another extremely rare fungus which 

 Sowerby figured from specimens sent to him from Holt in November, 

 1798, by the Rev. Mr. Francis who 'finds them on heathy ground 

 where turf stacks have stood.' It has never been seen in the county 

 since, and merits careful search, especially as the wording of Sowerby's 

 note implies that Mr. Francis had found it on more than one occasion. 



The county is poor too in Hydna, only eleven out of forty-nine 

 species having been recorded. One of these the magnificent Hydnum 

 coralloides was also recorded by Sowerby. H. imbricatum requires 

 confirmation as does Clatharus concellatus reported from near Lynn. 

 Torrubia capitata, also a species of Sowerby's recording, was refound by 

 Rev. Canon Du Port, some years ago near Mattishall. 



The curious manner in which some fungi occur one season and 

 then disappear permanently from that spot, has been well illustrated by 

 such species as Verpa digitaliformis which appeared in a hedge-bank on 

 North Wootton marshes in May, 1871, and never reappeared ; also by 

 V. rujipes which came up at Terrington St. Clements in May, 1875, 

 and never since has grown there, although the exact place was annually 

 visited year after year. Voharia bombycina too was once gathered on the 

 trunk of a living ash in Lovell's Hall Park in the same village, but never 

 recurred. Some fungi appear once in abundance and then year by 

 year diminish in numbers till they disappear entirely. Peziza corium did 

 this on North Wootton Heath, where on a tramway it was abundant in 

 April, 1876, but gradually got less and less numerous, and in the course 

 of three or four years totally disappeared. It had never occurred in that 

 spot prior to 1871, nor is there any other British record of it. Boletus 

 sulphureus on the sawdust heaps at Brandon wood-yard affords a similar 



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