CLASSIFICATION 459 



Hysterangium 



Peridium wall entirely continuous and truly indehiscent, sepa- 

 rable ; gleba rather soft and glutinous, cavities at first empty, 

 then containing spores ; spores minute, smooth, coloured. 



Recognized by the small, smooth, elliptical spores and the 

 cartilaginous-mucus consistency of the gleba. There is often an 

 abundant development of mycelium accompanying the fungus, 

 more especially in the young condition of growth. 



H. nephriticum. — Peridium globoso-depressed, surrounded by a 

 much branched weft of white mycelium, wall rather thick, elastic, 

 at first snow-white and downy, |-i in. across ; gleba pale blue or 

 greyish, here and there greenish ; cavities minute, irregular, 

 hollow, radiating from the base (spores elhptical, smooth, very pale 

 in colour, about 18-20x5-6 /x). 



Gregarious or sometimes crowded on each other, at first snow- 

 white and downy, seated on a white, flat, branched mycelium 

 which penetrates deeply into the soil, and is attached at various 

 points to the peridium. When quite young the substance is entirely 

 pale pink, changing to a pale blue or grey, with tinges of green 

 here and there. Smell scarcely any at first, then like that of some 

 species of Hvpen'ciim, at length exactly like that of a decaying 

 puffball. 



Underground or partly exposed, under trees. 



H. thwaitesii. — Peridium subglobose, white, becoming brownish 

 or rusty when bruised, wall very thin ; cavities brownish olive, up 

 to I in. across (spores oblong, apiculate, pale olive, 25-30x7-9 jj). 



Mycelium white, fibrillose, not so copious as in H. nephriticum, 

 and not forming a felted expansion, spreading for some distance. 



Underground in woods. 



Rhizopogon 



Peridium irregularly globose or oblong, wall thick and somewhat 

 leathery or quite thin, continuous or becoming cracked and some- 

 what evanescent, with vein-like, branched fibres traversing its 

 surface ; substance of the gleba firm, cavities chstinct, at first 

 empty ; spores smooth, pale-coloured. 



Resembling Hysterangium in the smooth, elliptical spores, but 

 readily distinguished by the cord-like, branched fibres running over 

 the surface of the peridium to which they are adnate or attached. 



R. ruhescens. — Peridium ovate or subglobose, with a long, slender, 

 rooting mycelium at first white and silky, becoming reddish when 

 exposed to the air, yellow or olive when mature, |-i| in. across ; 

 flesh yellow, then pale olive ; cavities or cells in the gleba numerous, 

 small and irregular in form (spores elliptic-oblong, almost colour- 

 less, smooth, 11x4-5 /a). 



When young it is almost transparent and resembles an un 



