MR. F. CURREY ON BRITISH FUNGI. 157 
LYCOGALA EPIDENDRUM, L. 
The nature of the capillitium in several of the Myxogastric Fungi has been the subject 
of much discussion. I lately had an opportunity of observing that of Zycogala epiden- 
drum at a very early stage of growth, and drew a thread of it, which is shown in 
Pl. XXV. fig. 14. At this period the thread consisted of a rugose membrane (the 
wrinkles forming little depressed areole), surrounded by a broad gelatinous envelope. 
XYLARIA VAPORARIA, Berk., n. s. 
Stroma sclerotioid, corky, rugose, irregular, terminating at the apex in short promi- 
nences, which are possibly abortive receptacles. Receptacles conical, stipitate, bearing 
perithecia only on the lower half; the upper half attenuated, subpulverulent, of a light 
reddish-brown colour, the lower half darker. Perithecia rather scattered and slightly 
prominent. Nucleus black and glutinous. Sporidia eight, almond-shaped, biseriate, 
black, 0:0018 to 0:0022 inch long. 
Plate XXV. fig. 26 represents the plant of the natural size. Fig. 17 is an ascus with 
50011038, x 220. 
This plant was sent in a sclerotioid condition to Mr. Berkeley. It was found in a 
mushroom-bed in Cornwall. Mr. Berkeley forwarded the sclerotium to me, with a 
request that I would endeavour to cultivate it. In December 1862 I planted it in damp 
sand, covered it with a bell-glass, and kept it moist in a warm room in a window facing 
the south. The fertile branches or receptacle soon made their appearance above the 
Surface of the sand, and by the end of March ripe fruit was produced. 
VALSA LAGENIFORMIS, Curr. 
Spheria lageniformis, Sollman, Botanische Zeitung, Nov. 1862, vol. xx. p. 380. 
Perithecia solitary or circinating, buried in the wood, 3th of an inch long, or nearly so, 
procumbent, the short ostiolum bending upwards and piercing the bark. A minute dark 
circle usually surrounds the ostiolum. Nucleus white and glutinous when moist, con- 
Sisting of a mass of enormously long linear asci, each containing from six to eight filiform 
Sporidia of the same length as the ascus. It is difficult to assign this plant its proper 
place, as the perithecia are mostly solitary ; but their occasional occurrence in twos, threes, 
or even more together, and their procumbent position, point to the genus Falsa. Iknow 
of no Valsa, however, in which the perithecia are immersed without conceptaculum or 
stroma in the hard wood; so that the present species is, to some extent, anomalous. 
I found this plant, last autumn (September 1862), upon dead branches of ash in the 
woods adjoining Combe Place, near Lewes. At that time there was no described species, 
to my knowledge, at all resembling it. Mr. Broome has since called my attention to a 
new Spheria, described by Sollman under the name of Spheria lageniformis*, which I 
have no doubt is the same as the Valsa above described. The extraordinary length of 
the asci is the most remarkable feature. Sollman gives jth of a Paris line (qth of an 
English inch very nearly) as the result of his measurement, and the asci in my specimens 
* See ‘Botanische Zeitung’ for Nov. 7, 1862, vol. xx. p. 380. 
VOL. XXIV. 
