THE 



more orange or golden liuc than the roll. This is at length 

 thro-.va oft', with a ludclcn and llroiig claftic force, leaving 

 a ir.inute, bordered, vilcid pit, or cup, wliich gradually 

 dilates into a level furface. 



The minute fungus .ibove defcribed is clofely related to 

 .Spii/h;Ronoi,u.s, and Hill more nearly perhaps to Pilobolus. 

 ( See thoie articles. ) Wliether it might be allowable to com- 

 prehend them under one genus, may admit of much difpute. 

 Even the many-cleft riccplacle, or involucrum of Spharobolus 

 can hardly be deemed a fufficient important difference to 

 fupcrfede this mcafure, and Hill lei's the elongated figure, 

 or pellucid fubftance, of Pilobolus. Botanifts who bellow 

 their concentrated attention exclufively on particular tribes 

 of plants, are prone to multiply dillinftions ; but they are 

 not raftily to be corredted by thofe who have not looked fo 

 clofelv, nor, perhaps, fo well. 



THELEDA, in Ancient Geos;rap!iy, a town of Afia, in 

 Syria, fituated on a plain 'W. of Seriana, and E. of 

 Cap pars. 



THELEPHORA, in Botany, from S.An, a nipple, and 

 fitpi', to hear, becaufe of the generally papillary covering of 

 the under furface. — Willd. Berol. 396. Perf. Syn. 565. 

 Schrad. Spicil. 182. (Craterella; Perf. Obf. Mycol. v. i. 

 39. Corticium ; ib. 37.)— Clafs and order, Cryptogmma 

 Fungi. Nat. Ord. Fungi gymnocarpi, 



Eff. Ch. Head coriaceous, dilated ; minutely papillary, 

 briftly, or fmooth, beneath. An ample, and, in our opi- 

 nion, rather vague genus of the fungus tribe, of which 

 Perfoon reckons up forty -feven fpecies, ranged under three 

 feftions, once confidered by him as diftinft genera. 'We 

 fhall, after our ufual manner, feleft a few examples of 

 each. 



SeSi. I. Craterella. Head undivided, hoHoiu or 

 f:mnd-Jhaped above, luith eijkaggy dijh. Two fpecies. 



Th. pallida. Pale Thelephora. Perf. n. I. " Ic. et 

 Defer. Fung. 3. t. I. f. 3, fub Cmterella." — " Aggre- 



fate, corky, pale. Head concave, Ihaggy with fcales." — 

 Larely found on the ground in moid woods. The Jlalh 

 is very fhort ; villous at the bafe. Head rough beneath, 

 with little briftles, vifible under a magnifying glafs. Per- 

 foon. 



Th. caryophyllea. Carnation Thelephora. Perf. n. 2. 

 Albert, and Schwein. Nilk. 272. (Craterella ambigua ; 

 Perf. Obf. Mycol. v. i. 39. t. 6, f. 8 — 10. Helvella 

 caryophyllea; Schxff. Fung. v. 4. 115. t. 325. Dickf. 

 Crypt, fafc. i. 20. Auricularia caryophyllea ; BuUiard. 

 t. 278. 483. Sowerb. Fung. t. 213.) — Head funnel- 

 fhaped, thin, purplifh -brown, fringed, varioufly jagged or 

 crifped. — Found on the ground in fir woods. Mr. 'Wood- 

 ivard firft met with this fpecies in Britain, near Bungay, 

 Suffolk. Continental botanifts ufually fpcak of it as rare, 

 but Mr. Sowerby fays it is " a very common parafite on 

 the expofed fantaftic roots of old firs, in autumn." The 

 fubftance is tough and fomewhat woody ; the colour a 

 chocolate-brown. The plants often grow in maffes, at- 

 tached by their upper fide to flicks, old bark, &c., and 

 are from one to three inches in diameter. Sometimes the 

 ^^ggy ^'^gs 's white. Perfoon in his Obf. Mycol. above 

 quoted feems difpofed to think the prefcnt fungus may vary 

 fo much as to become Ramaria palmata of Holmlkiold, 

 Fung. Dan. v. i. 106. t. 33 ; but furely the multiplied 

 divifions and ramifications of the latter, as well as its fmooth- 

 nefs and colour, preclude fuch an idea. 



Seft, 2. Stekeum. Head halved, finally horizontal. 

 Thirteen fpecies. 



Th. terrejiris. Ground Thelephora. Perf. n. 3. Ehrh. 

 Crypt, n, 179. (Th. mefenteriformis j Willd. Berol. 397. 



THE 



t. 7. f. 15.) — Somewhat imbricated, dull brown. Head 

 flattened, fliaggy with fibres. On fandy ground. This 

 fcems to us a mere variety of the laft, or rather its moft 

 ufual form, as reprefentcd in Mr. Sowerby's t. 213. Yet 

 Perfoon cites this plate, with doubt, under his fourth fpe- 

 cies, Th. laciniata. He ieems to lay too much ftrefs on the 

 aUfence or prefence of a ftalk, and perhaps makes too many 

 diftintlions. 



Th. rubiginofa. Rufty Thelephora. Perf. n. 6. (Th. 

 fragilis; Eiirh. Crypt, n. 238. Helvella rubiginofa ; Dickf. 

 Crypt, fafc. I. 20. Auricularia ferruginea ; BuUiard. 

 t. 378. Sowerb. Fung. t. 26.) — Imbricated, rigid, rufty- 

 brown, fmooth on both fides, with fcattered, rather larg.-, 

 knobs. — Not uncommon On gate-pofts or pales, generally 

 placed fo low as to be partly hid by the earth and neigh- 

 bouring plants, as Mr. Sowerby remarks. It is very dif- 

 tinft from the foregoing, foft like velvet to the touch ; the 

 under fide bearing fcattered, roundifh prominences, which, 

 however, do not appear concerned in the fruftification. 

 The edge is ufually pale. No part is hairy or fhaggy. 

 The diameter of each plant is about an inch. 



Th. ferruginea. Snuff-coloured Thelephora. Perf. n. 9. 

 Albert, and Schwein. Nilk. 273. (Auricularia tabacina ; 

 Sowerb. Fung. t. 25.) — Wavy, fomewhat reflexed, bright 

 brown. Head thin, nearly even, flightly downy ; hairy 

 underneath.' — Frequent on ftumps and rotten branches, in 

 various fituations. The plants are feffile, attached by the 

 back, projefting over each other, of an elegant undulated 

 figure ; the colour of both fides a bright reddiffi-brown, 

 efpecially the upper, elegantly contrafted with the light- 

 yellow border. 



Th. hirfuta. Common Hairy Thelephora. Perf. n. 11. 

 Willd. Berol. 397. Albert, and Schwein. Nilk. 274. (Th. 

 pallida; Ehrh. Crypt, n. 169. Auricularia reflexa ; Bul- 

 liard. t. 274. Sowerb Fung. t. 27.) — Aggregate, rounded, 

 coriaceous, convex, fomewhat zoned, yellowilh; fhaggy above ; 

 fjnooth and tawny beneath — Frequent on rotten ftumps, 

 pofts, pales, tubs, &c. ; either growing fohtary, and roundifh, 

 about an inch in diameter ; or in continued, confluent, fome- 

 what imbricated maffes. The under fide is yellow or tawny ; 

 the upper of a pale yellowiili-brown, marked with different 

 concentric fhades, and rough with imbricated foft fliaggy 

 hairs. The whole is often tinged with black, as if fmoked. 

 It varies in fize as well as colour, and often confifts of an 

 expanded orange-coloured furface, clofely preffed by its 

 back to the wood, previous to its acquiring any projeftion 

 by which the upper fide is expofed. In this ftate it might 

 be referred to the next feftion. Auricularia papyrina, Bul- 

 liard t. 402, feems nearly akin to tliie. 



Se£l. 3. Corticium. Plant laid entirely on its back, inde- 

 terminate in form, papillary , various in fubftance- — Thirty-two 

 fpecies, divided into fubordinate feftions, according to the 

 colour, whether pale or dark red, yeDowifh, brown, grey, 

 or white. — It is very neceffary to trace the progrefs of the 

 fpecies of this divifion, in order to be certain they do not, 

 at any period, acquire a diftinft upper furface, fo as to 

 range under the preceding. 



Th. quercina. Oak Thelephora. Perf. n. 16. Albert, 

 and Schwein. Niflt. 276. (Th. cai-nea ; Ehrh. Crypt, 

 n. 269. (Auricularia corticalis ; BuUiard t. 436. f. I.) — 

 Oblong, coriaceous, rugofe, pale ilefh-coloured ; the margin 

 fomewhat involute, of a blackifh-brown at the back. — 

 Found running longitudinally along decayed branches of 

 oak. Each plant is two or three inches in length, fome- 

 what oval, of a light flefh-coloured hue, with a powder)- or 

 downy furface, which water will not moiften, and which 

 is befprinklcd with round depreffed protuberances, obfcurely 



reprc» 



