120 



A REVISION OP THE GENUS BOVISTA (Dili,.) Fb. 



By George Massee. 



(Plate 282). 



BOVISTA (Dill.) Fr. — Peridium double; outer (cortex) distinct, 

 fragile, deciduous; inner (peridium) persistent, dehiscing by a 

 definite or irregularly torn apical orifice ; capillitium springing 

 from every part of inner surface of peridium ; columella-like sterile 

 base absent. Pers. disp. p. 6 ; Link diss. i. p. 32 ; Fr. Syst. 

 Orb. i. p. 138; Fr. Syst. Myc. iii. p. 21. Lycoperdon Vitt., Mon. 

 Lycoper. (in part). Globarla Quel. Champ. Jur. et Vosg., p. 3G1, 

 (in part). 



Allied to several genera, of which it may be considered the 

 nucleus, and having, perhaps, most affinity with Lycoperdon, the 

 points of difference between typical forms of the two genera being 

 as follows : — Batista, cortex free, falling away in patches, sterile 

 base absent, capillitium springing from every portion of inner wall 

 of peridium. Lycoperdon, cortex becoming broken up into warts 

 or spines, sterile base present from which the capillitium originates. 



In Bovista the threads of the capillitiuni are much more 

 branched and darker coloured than in most Lycoperdons, but in 

 one section are almost colourless and simple, whereas in some 

 species of Lycoperdon the threads are as irregular and highly 

 coloured as in Bovista. A few species of Bovista have the cortex 

 becoming sub-gelatinous, and, as it ceases to grow sooner than the 

 peridium, is torn by the expansion of the latter into scale-like 

 minute patches, which remain permanently attached to the peri- 

 dium, but in such instances the definite pyramidal structure of the 

 warts of Lycoperdon is absent. Pedicellate spores are common to 

 both genera, and of no value, specific or otherwise, in either, their 

 presence or absence depending on age when collected, conditions 

 during drying, and with time drop off in every species. The 

 pedicel of the spore is in reality a sterigma, four of which, as in 

 typical Basidiomycetes are produced at the apex of a basidium, and 

 when the spores are mature, instead of breaking away from the tips 

 of the sterigmata as is usual, remain firmly attached, the 

 sterigmata breaking off close to the basidium and thus constitute 

 the pedicels of the spores. Mycenastrum is readily distinguished 

 from Bovista by the spinulose capillitium threads and corky 

 peridium, Hippoperdon differs is the dense elastic capillitium having 

 permanent, small, irregular cavities scattered throughout its sub- 

 stance, somewhat resembling l» appearance the sterile basal- 

 stratum of a Lycoperdon, and inclines towards such genera as 

 Scleroderma and Polysaccum. 



In the specific character the expression " mass of spores and 

 capillitium " means the colour as seen with the naked eye, whereas 

 the colour of the threads and spores is as seen by transmitted light. 

 Spores are not, as some people appear to imagine, turned in a 

 lathe, and afterwards all dipped in the same staining solution, but, 



JOUBKAL OF UoTANY.— V"L. 86. [May. 1888.] * 



