254 ASCOMYCETES. 



posed of pseudoparenchyma, which, towards the margins, becomes 

 more elongated and prosenchymatous. Hypothecium generally 

 poorly developed. 



Mollisia. 



The sessile brownish apothecia on opening generally exhibit a 

 flat, saucer-shaped, transparent stratum of asci. The spores are 

 unicellular, hyaline, and spindle-shaped or club-like. The 

 paraphyses are hyaline or coloured, sometimes forked. 



Mollisia Morthieri (Sacc.). The apothecia are developed on 

 yellow spots of the lower epidermis of living leaves of Rvhus 

 Scldeicheri and E. fruticosus. The young apothecia are reddish- 

 brown and spherical ; when open they form yellowish-brown 

 discs with very delicate margins. The asci contain eight 

 spores, arranged in two rows. The spores are unicellular, club- 

 shaped, and colourless. The paraphyses are colourless or 

 brownish, with slightly bent points. 



Niptera. 



Apothecia as in Mollisia. The spores, however, on com- 

 pleting their development are two-celled. 



Niptera hypogaea (Bres.). 1 Found by Bresadola in Southern 

 Tyrol, underground on the roots of Adenostyles albifrons. The 

 apothecia are massed together on brown hyphae in blackened 

 parts of the host-roots. The ascogenous disc is greyish-brown 

 or whitish, with fine fibrous margins. The asci are spindle- 

 shaped, and contain eight spindle-shaped colourless spores, 

 which are at first one-celled, later two-celled. The septate 

 colourless paraphyses are forked. 



Pseudopeziza. 



The members of this genus live as parasites in the leaf- 

 tissue of higher plants and produce dead brown spots, in which 

 the ascocarps are afterwards developed. The apothecia have 

 delicate walls, and, after rupturing the epidermis, emerge 

 as delicately-coloured saucer-like hymenial discs. The club- 

 shaped asci contain eight spores, arranged in two rows. The 



1 Bresadola, Fumji trident, A. i.xxv. , Fig. 1. 



