Steiiumitis. 73 



spreading hyiiothallus ; sporangia cylindrical, obtuse or attenu- 

 ated at the ajDcx, wall thin, evanescent ; blackish with metallic 

 tints ; stem slender, equal, shorter than the sporangium, blackish, 

 shining ; columella reaching nearly to apex of sporangium ; 

 capillitium dense, threads blackish, tapering, combined into a 

 dense, irregular net, the periplural meshes smaller or equal to 

 the S2Jorcs in diameter : spores in the mass hlacJc, luith violet tinge, 

 dingy violet by transmitted light, globose, varying from dis- 

 tinctly verrucose to almost smooth, size also variable, from 

 5 — 11 [JL diameter. 



Stemonitis fusca, Rost., Mon., p. 193, fig. 40; Cke., Myx. Brit., 

 p. 4G, fig. 40; Sacc, Syll, n. 1362. 



Exdcc.—^owm., Fung. Sel. Gall. (Rel. Moug.); Ellis, N. 

 Amer. Fung., 1119; Fckl, Fung. Rhen., 1149; Holl, Schmidt, 

 and Kunze, Deutschlands Schwamme, n. cix. ; Cke., Fung. Brit., 

 Ed. ii., n. 522 ; Fung. Cub. Wrightiani, n. 538 ; Roum., Fung. 

 Gall, Cent. xiv. (number indistinct). 



On rotten wood, &c. Britain (Bournemouth, Kew, Ilfra- 

 combe, Epping ; Bulmer, Yorks ; Carlisle, Aboyne) ; Europe ; 

 N.America; Cuba; Venezuela; Natal; Mauritius; Himalayas; 

 Ceylon ; Victoria ; Tasmania. 



From 5 — 14 mm. high. The only large British species with 

 a small meshed capillitium and spores blackish violet in the 

 mass. 



(Rostafinski's Synonyms.) 



Lycoperdon capite cylindracca, Rupp. Jenn., 304 (1718). 



Clathroidasto'um ohscuriim, Mich., t. 94, f. 1 (1729). 



Emlolus nigcrrimus, Hall, t. i., f. 1 (1742). 



Claihonis nudus. Linn., Fl. Suec, 1263 (1745). 



Stemonitis I, Gled., Meth., 141 (1753). 



Emholus, Hall, 2137, t. 48, f. 1 (1768). 



Tubulifcra cremor, Fl. Dan., t. 659, f. 1 (1777). 



Tremella typhina, Willd. Fl. Ber., 420 (1787). 



Mucor araneosus, Jacq. Misc., t, 15 (1778). 



Stemonitis ftcsca, Roth. Mag. Bot, p. 26 (1782); Elir. Ber., 

 f. 5 ; Grev., S. C. Fl., t. 170 ; Corda Ic, ii., f 87 ; Eng. Fl., 

 v., 317; Cooke, Hdbk., 1155, fig. 132, Fung Britt., ii, 522. 



