Diachaea. 259 



Sub- Gen. Diachaea. 



Columella well developed, elongated, . rigid with amorphous 

 masses of lime. 



A. Spores smooth. 



Diachaea confusa, Mass. (n. sp.). 



Gregarious, springing from a thin, irregular, yellowish hypo- 

 thallus ; sporangia elliptico-cylindrical, stipitate, obscure purple, 

 iridescent, stem equal to, or a little shorter than the sporangium, 

 pale ochraceous, subequal, slightly wrinkled longitudinally; 

 columella two-thirds the height of the sporangium, dirty pale 

 ochraceous, subclavate, filled with masses of lime, very brittle; 

 threads of the capillitium springing from the columella, much 

 branched and irregularly anastomosing to form a very dense net, 

 about 3 /A thick near the columella, tapering, pale olive or 

 smoky; spores at first in clusters of 6 8, smooth, globose, 5 6 /z 

 diameter, dingy lilac. 



(Type in Herb., Kew.) 



Sporangia 2'5 3 mm. high ; distinguished by the ochraceous 

 subequal stem and the small spores in clusters of 6 8. The 

 capillitium is very dense, and the columella so very brittle 

 that it requires care to see it intact. 



On living geranium leaves. Jamaica. 



Diachaea leucopoda, Rost. (figs. 165, 166). 



Gregarious, springing from a spreading white hypothallus; 

 sporangia elliptico-cylindrical, stipitate, brownish-purple, some- 

 times iridescent, often subumbilicate below ; stem shorter than 

 sporangium, white, thin above, expanding considerably downwards, 

 smooth ; passing upwards as a thick, equal or slightly tapering 

 columella about two-thirds the length of the sporangium, white, 

 aud filled with granules of lime ; mass of spores blackish ; 

 capillitium dense, threads springing from the columella where 

 they are 3 4 /x thick, much branched and irregularly anasto- 

 mosing to form a dense net, becoming thinner and attached 



