12 
FUNGI. 
Revised Descriptions of Type Specimens in the Kew 
Herbarium. 
Numerous species of fungi established by Berkeley and others, 
the types of which are deposited in the Kew Herbarium, were de- 
scribed at a time when external characters, habit, etc., were con- 
sidered as being equally important, or even more so, than internal 
microscopic features ; consequently, at this age, when the pendulum 
has swung to the opposite extreme, and characters are mostly 
founded on colour, size, and septation of spores, the old species 
are not recognized, the result being that many such are being 
again described as new species. The above are the principal 
reasons for redescribing old types, and it is much to be desired 
that everyone having an opportunity of examining types — by which 
is meant the actual specimen from which the original description 
was drawn up — would give a new description of such, in accordance 
with the usage of modern times, embodying not only microscopic 
features, but also external characteristics, habit, etc. Host, matrix, 
and microscopic measurements are undeniably very important 
factors in the discrimination of species, but their abuse in modern 
times has probably resulted in as great an evil as did their absence 
from the descriptions of the old authors. 
Hysterium fusiger, B. fy C. 
Perithecia gregarious, usually irregularly grouped on a black 
patch or stain ; black, 1-2 mm. long, elliptical, ends acute, straight, 
curved, or flexuous, median line not gaping, even after prolonged 
soaking, lips smooth ; asci cylindrical or somewhat clavate, at- 
tenuated into a thin pedicel at the base, spores 8, irregularly bi- 
seriate, somewhat fusiform, 7-9 septate, very slightly constricted 
at the septa, sometimes curved, cells usually 1-guttulate, pale, dull 
brown, 50-60 x 8-10 /x ; paraphyses numerous, equal to or slightly 
exceeding the asci in length, filiform, tip not at all incrassated, 
brownish. 
Hysterium fusiger , B. & C., Grev., Vol. iv., p. 11 ; Sacc. Syll., 
Yol. ii., No. 566i. 
On dead wood. New England. Sprague, No. 5830. 
Hysterium capparidis, B. Sf C. 
Hypophyllous ; perithecia gregarious, erumpent, black, at first 
covered with bright brown powder, straight or rarely slightly 
curved, narrow, rather prominent, slit very narrow; asci subcylin- 
drical, shortly stipitate, 8-spored ; spores irregularly biseriate, 
cylindric-fusoid, uniformly septate; transverse septa 9-11, very 
close together, 36-40 x 6-7 /x, with a tinge of brown at maturity ; 
paraphyses very numerous, wavy, filiform, septate. 
Angelina capparidis , B. & C., in Herb. 
