PHYSARUM 75 



but erect, even; hypothallus none; columella none; capillitium 

 strongly calcareous, almost as in Badhamia, aggregate at the center, 

 and forming a pseudo-columella at the base of the peridium; peridial 

 wall firm, covered with innate patches of lime, somewhat yellow at 

 the base ; spores minutely spinulose, violaceous, 7-9 /a. 



This little species reaches us from California. It appears in late 

 winter in undisturbed grass tufts and the sporangia are scattered over 

 the lower leaves. It displays a remarkable amount of lime. The 

 nodules, however, are not large; they are rounded and connected 

 here and there by the ordinary retal tubules characteristic of a phy- 

 sarum. 



Z3. PhYSARUM LEUCOPHi^UM Fr. 



1818. Physarum leucophaeum Fr., Symb. Gast., p. 24. 

 1875. Physarum leucophaeum Fr., Rost., Mon., p. 113, Figs. 77, 78. 

 1899. Physarum leucophaeum Fr. Macbr., A^. A. S., p. 21. 

 1911. Physarum nutans Pers., subspecies leucophaeum (Fr.) Lister, Mycet., 

 2nd ed., p. 67. 



Sporangia scattered or gregarious, stipitate; the peridium globose 

 or sub-depressed, plano-convex, but never umbilicate below, erect, 

 bluish-ashen ; the stipe short, rugose, sub-sulcate, fuscous, brown, or 

 sometimes almost white, even or slightly attenuate upward from a 

 thickened base or sometimes from an indistinct hypothallus; capilli- 

 tium dense, intricate; the nodules white, with comparatively little 

 lime, thin, expanded, angular or branching; columella none; spore- 

 mass black, spores violaceous, minutely roughened, about 8-10 /a. 



This extremely delicate and beautiful form is certainly not to be 

 referred to Tilmadoche alba (Bull.) Fr. Fries, who seems to have 

 known of P. cotnpressum A. & S. and refers it to P. nutans Pers., 

 op. cit., p. 130, annotates the present species: "Species especially re- 

 markable in the stipe, in the internal structure, and in its whole habit, 

 nor is there any other with which it may be compared. , Perid- 

 ium thin, not uniform, presently breaking up into laciniate scales; at 

 first yellow, then bluish-ashen ; when empty, white. The form in- 

 constant, globose, depressed, but never umbilicate at the base." If 

 we may judge by what Fries says on the subject, he certainly distin- 

 guished clearly between this species and T. alba (Bull.), to say 



