442 BRITISH FUNGI 



P. jurcata. — Hymenopliore white or yellowish, waxy, then tough, 

 compressed and broad at the tip, narrowed downwards, generally 

 forked, i-i| in. high. 



On soil in greenhouses. General^ tufted. 



P. puberula. — Hymenophore white, minute, about i line high, 

 obovate ; stem distinct, pellucid, downy (spores colourless, ellip- 

 tical, 5x3 /^)- 



On dead bracken, etc. Scattered. 



P. purpurea. — Hymenopliore purple, minute, about i line high, 

 obovate, stem whitish (spores 4x3). 



Not previously described. Known by the purple club. 



On damp, rotten leaves. 



Pterula 



Hymenophore very densely branched, branches very slender, 

 substance somewhat cartilaginous, especially when dry. 



The two British species form dense tufts composed of equal, 

 thread-like branches. Distinguished amongst the Clavariaceae by 

 their cartilaginous consistency. 



P. suhulata. — Hymenophore densely branched, branches very 

 slender, equal, not much divided below, breaking up at the tips 

 into several finely pointed branchlets, greyish white, then pale 

 amber (spores elliptical, 8-10x6-7 //.). 



Forming dense tufts, 1-2 in. high, consisting of very numerous, 

 subequal branches as thin as thread, becoming rather horny when 

 dry. The branches are frequently connected by cross portions, 

 or anastomose irregularly. 



P. multifida. — Hymenophore densely branched, branches thin, 

 almost equal, much divided, and ending in sharp-pointed tips, 

 springing from a slender, more or less elongated, stem-like base, 

 rather tough, whitish, becoming pale amber and cartilaginous 

 when dry (spores elliptical, 10x6-7 /v.). 



Plants 1-2 in. high, usually clustered, several plants forming a 

 dense tuft. Consisting of densely crowded, ascending branches, 

 much divided and as thin as thread ; base sometimes thick, at 

 others consisting of several thin stems more or less grown together. 



On dead leaves, branches, etc. 



Tremellinace^ 

 The more or less gelatinous consistency is the most marked 

 feature of the members of this group of fungi. In the genus Tre- 

 mella, which is the type of the famil3% the substance is in some species 

 so tender and deliquescent as to lose its form and almost slip 

 through the fingers when handled. In other genera, as Calocera 

 and Auricularia, the substance is still somewhat gelatinous and 

 viscid >vhen growing, but yet firm enough to retain its form. In 



