CHIODECTON. 



295 



Thallus tartareous, smooth, cushioned, glaucous or greyish- 

 olive, often traversed by black lines. Apothecia punctiform, 

 crowded. Spores fusiform, elongate, five-septate, pale. (E. B. 

 1752.) 



On the bark of trees, not uncommon in various parts of 

 England. 



Genus III. CHIODECTON, Fee. 



Gen. Char. Thallus crustaceous ; apothecia verruciform, pul- 

 verulent ; thalamia numerous, aggregated, immersed in thalline 

 warts, waxy-gelatinous ; ostioles subdisciform, prominent. In 

 general characters it resembles the next genus. (Name from 

 Xtdji/, snow, in allusion to the pulverulescence of the apothecia ; 

 hence popularly called ' Snow-wort.') 



1. Chiodecton albidum (albidus, whitish). Thallus le- 

 prose, whitish, effuse. Apothecia tuberculiform, sessile, ni- 

 veo-pulverulent, besprinkled with black points or ostioles. 

 Spores elongate-fusiform, three-septate, pale yellow. 



On shady rocks between Killarney and Dunkerron, county 

 Kerry, Ireland. Its spermogones are to be carefully looked 

 for with a lens on the white spots of the thallus, which in- 

 dicate the position of rudimentary fructiferous tubercles, as 

 isolated, black points, each of which corresponds to a glo- 



