Arcyria. 149 



(Type in Herb., Kew.) 

 Distinguished amongst the red species by the cylindrical 

 threads of the capillitium being equally and densely covered 

 with short spine-like warts or very short bands. 



Arcyria fusca, Fries. 



Every part unibo^-brown, sometimes with a tinge of olive ; 

 sporangia stipitate, globose or very hroadly elliptical ; basal por- 

 tion remaining as a calyculus ; stem 3 — 4 times as long as 

 sporangium, very thin, equal, filled with large cells that become 

 smaller upwards ; capillitium protruded elastically, attached to 

 base of sporangium, the threads passing down between the 

 cells of the upper portion of the stem, threads round, combined 

 to form a dense network, with a single row of warts or very short 

 2'>lates arranged in a very open spiral; spores globose, smooth, 

 7 — 9 /x diameter. 



Arcyria fusca, Fries, Gast., p. 17. 



Arcyria punicea, Rost., Mon., p. 268; Cke., Myx. Brit,, p. 69; 

 Sacc, Syll., vii., 1, no. 1457 (all in part). 



Exsicc. — Fuckel, Fung. Rhen., 1443. 



(Specimen from Fries in Herb. Berk.) 



Pn wood. Britain (Batheaston) ; Sweden ; Germany. 



Gregarious, 3 — 4 mm. high. Considered by Rostafinski as 

 synonymous with Arcyria punicea, from which it differs in the 

 ornamentation of the threads, consisting of spines or short 

 flattened plates not occupying more than \ diameter of thread, 

 long, thin stem, colour, &c. 



Arcyria versicolor, Phill. 



Sporangia elongato-pyriform or clavatc, often attenuated 

 downwards into a short, thin, weak stem ; wall of sporangium 

 smooth, polished, varying from bright clear yellow to dark olive ; 

 dehiscing irregularly, basal portion persistent; springing gre- 

 gariously from a well-developed hypothallus ; mass of capillitium 

 and spores clear yellow to dusky olive ; capillitium attached 

 only to inner surface of stem-like base of sporangium; forming 



