220 J. B. CLELAND AND E. CHEEL. 



GEASTEBS. 



The fungi included in the genus Geaster are easily dis- 

 tinguished from other species of the Lycoperdacese by the 

 double peridia, the outer one of which splits into segments 

 usually re volute away from the endoperidium, and finally 

 becomes somewhat star-shaped, hence they are popularly 

 called "earth-stars." The capillitium is mostly simple, 

 and the spores globose and usually minutely warty or very 

 rarely smooth. 



Twenty-two species have been recorded for Australia by 

 Cooke (37) which are distributed in the different States as 

 follows: — Queensland 12, Western Australia 9, Victoria 8, 

 Tasmania 5, New South Wales 5, South Australia 3 species. 



Since the publication of Oooke's work, changes have 

 been made in the nomenclature of many of the Australian 

 fungi, and the Geasters have received special attention 

 from Mr. C. G. Lloyd, who has had excellent opportunities 

 for examining all the earlier collections of Australian species 

 which are for the most part deposited in the Royal Her- 

 barium, Kew, and the British Museum. A few collections 

 have also been examined which are deposited in herbaria 

 on the Continent of Europe, and as a result of this examin- 

 ation it has been found necessary to change the names of 

 many of the earlier collections. In the National Herbarium 

 there are numerous collections of these interesting plants 

 which have been carefully preserved by one of us (E.G.) 

 during the past fifteen years. These have been carefully 

 compared with the excellent illustrations given by Lloyd, 

 and together with our private collections, form the subject 

 of the present notes. 



Geaster simulans Lloyd (68, p. 17, fig. 11). Syn. G. hygro- 

 metricus in Cooke (37, No. 1268) but probably not of 

 Persoon. 



