208 



[ALECTOKTA. 



38. ALECTORIA Ach. Lich. TJniv. (1810) p. 592 pro parte; 

 Nyl. Syn. p. 277. Thallus filamentose, often intricately branched, 

 concolorous on both 

 sides, somewhat shi- 

 ning ; medullary layer 

 loosely arachnoid "or 

 lacunose, not readily 

 separating from the 

 cortical layer, which 

 is corneous, formed of 

 subparallel filaments 

 closely conglutinate. 

 Apothecia discolorous, 

 or rarely subconcolo- 

 rous with the thallus, 

 rarely with ciliato 

 margin; hypotheciura 

 colourless ; spores 8nae 

 and small, or 2-4nae 



and larger, very rarely 



v j- -i j i 



murah- divided, el- 



hpsoid, sometimes 



at length becoming 



brown; hymenial gelatine bluish with iodine. Spermogones lateral, 



inclosed in thalline tubercles, the conceptacles externally blackish ; 



spermatia acicular, fusit'ormi-incrassate towards either apex. 



The species of this genus are characteristic of mountainous regions, and 

 several occur in great abundance in suitable localities. In some the thallus 

 becomes at length free from the substratum, because of the decay and 

 death of the lower portion, which does not, however, prevent them from 

 freely vegetating. 



Fig. 41 . 



Alecforia ochroleuca, Nyl. a. Vertical section of 

 a young apothedum, X 30. b. Theca and 

 paraphvsis, X 350. c. Spores, X oOO. <1. 

 Longitudinal section of thallus with a sper- 

 mogone, X 30. e. Sterigmata and spermatia, 

 x 500. 



a. Apothecia lateral or pseudo-terminal ; spores 2-4nae, somewhat 

 large, colourless or at length brown. (Eualectoria Fr. fil. 

 Gen. Heterol. (1861) p. 48.) 



1. A. ochroleuca Nyl. Mem. Soc. Cherb. v. (1837) p. 98. Thal- 

 lus caespitoso-fruticulose, rigid, erect, rounded or somewhat com- 

 pressed, smooth, or here and there lacunoso-impressed, much and 

 divaricately branched, ochroleucous or whitish straw-coloured ; 

 branches attenuate, the apices recurved and usually blackish 



(Kf + yellowish , CaCl~ ). Apothecialarge, innate-sessile, at length re- 



pand, bright brownish-red or brownish-black, the margin inflexed 

 or excluded ; spores 0,028-42 mm. long, 0,014-24 mm. thick. 

 Mudd, Man. p. 73 ; Cromb. Lich. Brit. p. 24 ; Leight. Lich. Fl. 

 p. 87, ed. 3, p. 79. Cornicularia ochroleuca Hook. Fl. Scot. ii. 

 p. 69 ; Sm. Eug. Fl. v. p. 229. Lichen ochroleucus Ehrh. Beytr. 

 iii. (1789) p. 82 ; Dicks. Crypt, fasc. iii. p. 19 ; With. Arr. ed. 3, iv. 

 p. 46 pro parte ; Eng. Hot. t. 2374. 7?,-^. *. : Cromb. u. 126. 



