324 Rev. M. J. Berkeley and Mr. C. E. Broome on British Fungi. 



Distinguished by marked characters both in the perithecia and 

 sporidia from all allied species. 



Plate X. fig. 14. a. Perithecium ; b. ascus ; c. sporidia. More or less 

 magnified. 



631. S. (Obtectse) farcta, n. s. Tecta dispersa; peritheciis 

 solitariis globosis demum collapsis collo brevi, ostiolo obtuso 

 demum epidermidem perforante ; ascis clavatis obtusis sporidiis 

 oblongis utrinque obtusiusculis 3-4 nucleatis repletis. On dead 

 twigs of elm, Batheaston, Jan. 1851. 



Scattered, scarcely conspicuous externally except from the 

 slight projection over each perithecium, which is at length per- 

 forated by the obtuse ostiolum. Perithecia globose, collapsing 

 when dry ; neck short. Asci clavate, subcylindrical, obtuse, filled 

 with numerous oblong linear sporidia, which are slightly obtuse 

 at either end, and contain three or more globose nuclei. 



This species resembles externally S. hypodermia, but the peri- 

 thecia are solitary and the sporidia very different. The nearest 

 ally perhaps is S. Lebiseyi, Desm., which is however much smaller, 

 and has apiculate but otherwise similarly-shaped sporidia. In 

 Sphceria ditopa as found on alder by Dr. Roussel, for Fries' spe- 

 cimen shows no fruit, the asci are stuffed, but the sporidia are 

 larger and uniseptate. Sph. ditopa, Rab. no. 1038, is a very dif- 

 ferent species, with very elongated, curved, obtuse sporidia. It 

 seems rather to belong to Circinatce, and may be characterized — 



S. Rabenhorstii, n. s. Peritheciis depressis ostiolis rectis ; 

 ascis amplis clavatis ; sporidiis octonis elongatis utrinque obtusis 

 majoribus curvulis. 



Plate X. fig. 15. Sph. farcta: a. Asciis; b. sporidia. More or less 

 magnified. Fig. 15*. S. ditopa : a. Ascus ; b. sporidia. Both magnified. 



632. S. (Obtectse) trivialis, n. s. Sparsa, tecta; peritheciis 

 depressis minutis, ostiolo obsoleto ; ascis amplis clavatis obtusis ; 

 sporidiis ellipticis uniseptatis. On dead twigs, Batheaston, Feb. 

 1851. 



Scattered, covered by the cuticle, which appears brownish over 

 each perithecium, but is really colourless. Perithecia depressed, 

 elliptic ; ostiolum obsolete ; asci broad, clavate, containing eight 

 broadly elliptic uniseptate sporidia. 



Resembling somewhat as to the fruit ascigerous Spharia mu- 

 tila, but truly belonging to the section Obtectce. 



Plate X. fig. 16. Ascus filled with sporidia. Magnified. 



633. Spharia tomicum, Lev. Ann. d. Sc. Nat. 1848. 

 Var. minor. 



On Aim caspitosa, Batheaston, Jan. 1850. 



