Trie It i<i. 177 



Sphacrocarpus fragilis, Sow., t. 279 (1803). 



Trichia notata, Fl. Dan., 1680 (1823). 



Trichia badia, Fr. Stirp. Femsj., 83 (1825). 



Trichia pyriformis, Fr., S. M., iii., 184 (1829) ; Curr., Micr. 



Journ., v., p. 129; Cke., Hdbk., n. 1178. 

 Trichia I/orinseriana, Corda, Ic., f. 228 D (1837) ; Curr., 



Micr. Journ., v., p. 129 ; Cke., Hdbk., n. 1180. 

 Trichia pyriformis, j3. serotina, Host., in Fckl. Symb., 2 N., 



75 (1873). 



Craterium floriformc, Schu., Ann., No. 2307. 

 Alwisia lombarda, B. and Br., Ceylon Fung., No. 784, t. 2, 



f. 6 (1873). 



Trichia purpurascens, Nyl. (figs. 183, 184). 



Sporangia stipitate. ovate or spherico-ovate, solitary or gre- 

 garious, purplish-red, opaque; stem longitudinally wrinkled, 

 erect or cernuous, rather firm and thickish, expanding at the 

 base into a small hypothallus, coloured like the sporangium, 

 which it equals or exceeds in length ; mass of elaters and spores 

 bright ochraceous ; elaters rather short, fttsiform, attenuated into 

 long, tapering, smooth, straight or Jiexuous tips, simple or branched, 

 about 5 ju, thick at the centre, spirals sharp-edged, rather pro- 

 minent and distant ; spores globose, verruculose, yellow, 9 11 /x 

 diameter. 



Trichia purpurascens, Nyl., in Sallsk. pro Faun, et Flor. 

 Fenn. notis. Ny., Ser. 11., 2, p. 126; Mass., Rev. Trich., p. 332; 

 Sacc., Syll., no. 1508 ; Grev., v., 18, p. 27 (1889) ; Karst., Myx. 

 Fenn., iv., p. 137. 



On fir-wood, moss, &c. Britain (Carlisle) ; Finland. 



Requires to be carefully distinguished from some forms of 

 Trichia fragilis, to which species the present is closely allied. 

 In T. purpurascens the spirals are sharp-edged, in T. fragilis 

 flattened. The inner surface of the sporangial wall is studded 

 with amorphous, organic purple particles ; the colouring matter 

 is soluble in potassic or ammonic hydrate. 



