September, 1905. 



The Irish Naiiiralisi . 



185 



OCCURRENCE OF THE FUNGUS PEZIZA ADAE 

 IN IREEAND. 



with a note on the conditions attending its growth. 



by james strachan. 



[Plate 5.] 



Towards the end of Ma}-, 1905, while collecting wild flowers 

 in Ballyclare, Co. Antrim, Mr. Hugh Cairns drew my atten- 

 tion to a fungus growing in an outhouse on the surface of an 

 old lime-heap. As it appeared to be rather an uncommon 

 fungus, a specimen was forwarded to the Rev. Canon Lett, of 

 Loughbrickland, through whose kindness it was identified at 

 the Botanic Gardens, Kew, as the somewhat rare and in- 

 teresting fungus Peziza Adae. This species of Peziza was 

 so named after its discoverer, Miss Ada Balfour, of Edin- 

 burgh. This is the first recorded occurrence of Peziza Adae 

 in Ireland. 



Peziza Adae, Massee, " British Fungus Flora," vol. iv., p. 433. 



References : — 



Sadler, iu Trans. Bot. ."oc. Edinb., 1857, p. 45, with figure. 

 Cooke, " Mycographia," page 349. 

 PhilUps, "British Discomycetes," page 62. 

 Description : — 



Sessile, somewhat scattered, at first closed then expanding, usually 

 irregular, margin entire or lobed, often reflexed, flesh quite thin, i-2"5 

 cm. across ; excipulum composed of septate, interwoven hyphae ; exter- 

 nally pallid, the free portion almost or quite glabrous ; basal portion 

 giving off numerous septate, branched, thin-walled colourless hyphae that 

 fix the fungus to the matrix ; disc white, or more or less deeply tinged 

 rosy, lilac, or ochraceous; asci elongated, narrowly cylindrical, l)ase 

 tapering, 8-spored ; spores obliquely i-seriate, hyaline, continuous, 

 usually 2-guttulate, elliptical, ends obtuse, smooth ; paraphyses linear, 

 slightly clavate, hyaline." 



Habitat :— 



On damp, plastered walls. Distinguished among the larger species 

 of Peziza by the very thin, delicate ascophore, also the small spores." 



About a dozen groups of the fungus appeared, the largest 

 of which measured 8*3 cm. across ; the largest member of 



A 



