2o6 



PH /BANG ELLA SMITH I AN A BOUD. {= PSEUDO- 

 PHACIDIUM SMITHIANUM BOUD.) IN YORKSHIRE. 



C. CROSSLAND, 

 Halifax. 



In August, 191 1, Mr. T. B. Roe, Scarborough, sent me specimens 

 of a minute Discomycete on browned leaves of Empetrum 

 nigrum, from Seamer Moor, near Scarborough. When in a 

 dry condition the margin of the ascophore is so much incurved 

 as to give it the appearance of a Pyrenomycete ; when, how- 

 ever, it is moist, mature ascophores are seen and its true 

 character is at once revealed. Being out of the ordinary run 

 of Discomycetes, mature specimens were straightway described 

 and figured from a careful microscopic examination. This 

 was done before trying to determine the species by aid of books, 

 or to ascertain if it had previously been described. On even- 

 tually referring to the Trans. Brit. Myc. Soc, Vol. IIL, Part IL, 

 p. 8r, I met with the description of a ' New Species of Pseudo- 

 phacidium " — P. Smithianum — by Em. Boudier, with figure 

 on plate 4. This also was found on browned leaves of Em- 

 petrum nigrum, collected in Ayrshire by Mr. D. A. Boyd, and 

 in Ross-shire by Miss A. Lorrain Smith, and forwarded to Dr. 

 Boudier by Mr. Carleton Rea. This appeared to be the same 

 thing as the Seamer Moor gathering, but the description of 

 spores and paraphyses did not quite agree with mine. M. 

 Boudier describes the spores as hyaline or slightly coloured, 

 at first filled with small ' oil drops,' and non-septate ; par- 

 aphyses unbranched above, divided at base only. 



The early stages of the spores of the Yorkshire specimens 

 answer this description exactly, but later, the contents become 

 homogeneous and take on a pale yellow-green tint which 

 gradually deepens to dark olive ; finally the spores are distinctly 

 one-septate ; the colour deepens tardily and during the change 

 the ascus disappears ; the spores are not expelled from the 

 apex as is usually the case. Paraphyses profusely branched 

 above. 



Samples of the Seamer Moor gatherings were submitted 

 to Dr. Boudier and his attention drawn to the dark coloured, 

 one-septate, mature spores. After receiving a second lot, and 

 further study of the ascophores, Dr. Boudier accepted the 

 suggestion that this was the same species as the one from 

 Scotland, described and figured in the above ' Transactions.' 

 Evidently the Scotch specimens were immature, as he had not 

 observed dark coloured, one-septate spores. He added that 

 these characters necessitated the species being placed in 

 another genus, and would set the matter right. 



The following is a translation of his communication to the 



Naturalist, 



