NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN FUNGI. 209 



This interesting species was originally collected in Tas- 

 mania by La Billardiere, who published a description 

 together with a figure in the year 1798. 



Since this date there have been no less than ten species 

 of the genus described, but it is very doubtful if more than 

 three distinct species will stand when the whole of the 

 material collected has been properly investigated and com- 

 pared with fresh specimens. The following is a list of the 

 names of those species which have been recorded for 

 Australasia in addition to the original A. rubra: — A. 

 actinobala Oorda; A. pentactina Endl.; A. Muelleriana 

 Lloyd; A. lysuroldes; A. Hookeri Berk. = A. viridis Berk.; 

 and A. poculiformis Bail. 



In addition to the above there are four species found in 

 other countries, the names of which are as follow: — A. 

 zealandica Berk., a native of Oeylon; A. junghuhnii, com- 

 mon in Java; A. pallida, a native of New Caledonia, and 

 A. arachnoida Fischer. 



The last mentioned species is a native of Cochin China 

 and Java and seems to be quite distinct from any of the 

 Australian forms. A. zealandiaa seems to be very little 

 different from the Australian species and has been regarded 

 as a variety of A. rubra by some authorities. 



In the National Herbarium of Sydney, there are five dried 

 specimens collected in Tasmania near the type locality by 

 R. C. Gunn, who has written the following remarks con- 

 cerning them on the sheets with the specimens: — "Aseroe 

 rubra? Labill. — I saw it abundantly, February 1851, growing 

 in light decomposed vegetable matter in a dense forest of 

 Fayus Cunningliamii. It bursts out of a ball like Ileo- 

 dictyon. Colour very bright crimson, smells like tainted 

 meat. The centre of each was full of blackish or brown 

 slimy matter. Very brittle and not easily dried." 



N— August 4, 1915. 



