270 Mas see. — A Monograph of the Geoglosseae. 
the stem is usually paler in colour than the ascigerous portion. The 
entire fungus generally becomes blackish green when dry. Usually 
rather densely clustered, the individual plants slender, 2-3 cm. high, 
but sometimes much taller and stouter, as figured by Holmskiold. 
Specimen from Persoon examined. 
Mitrula olivaeea, Sacc., Syll. viii, n. 125, 1889; Massee, Brit. 
Fung.-Fl. iv, 483, 1895. 
Gregarious or caespitose, entire fungus 3-4 cm. high, dry, dingy 
olive-green, sometimes with a purple sheen, stem paler, entirely 
blackish green when dry; ascigerous portion 1-2 cm. long, up to 
5 mm. broad, cylindric-ovate, apex usually narrowed, sometimes 
obovate or irregular in form, glabrous, more or less compressed and 
grooved; stem subcylindrical, glabrous, base slightly thickened and 
whitish. Asci narrowly clavate, apex narrowed, pore blue with iodine, 
90-100 x io-ii fx; spores 8, irregularly 2-seriate above, 1 -seriate 
below, narrowly elliptical, ends rounded, 3-4-guttulate, hyaline, 
smooth, continuous, often slightly curved, 15-19 x 5-6 ^ ; paraphyses 
slender, tips slightly- clavate and tinged olive. 
Syn. — Geoglossum olivaceum , Pers., Obs. Myc. i, 40, tab. 5, f. 7, 
1796; Cooke, Mycogr. 9, fig. 14, 1875. 
Leptoglossum olivaceum , Cke., Mycogr. 250, 1879; Phil., Brit. Disc. 
33. l88 7- 
Microglossum olivaceum , Gillet, Disc. France, 26, with a fig., 1879; 
Rehm, Kr.-FL, n. 5868, 1896. 
Geoglossum olivaceum , var. purpureum , Berk., Outl. pi. 22, f. 2, 
i860. 
Geoglossum carneum , Schultz, Flor. Starg. 486, 1806. 
Exs. — Phil., Elv. Brit. n. 5; Cke., Fung. Brit. n. 650; Cke., Fung. 
Brit. ed. ii, n. 396 ; Jack, Leiner , u. Sitzenb., Krypt. Badens, n. 650 ; 
Rab., Fung. Eur. n. 1820; Kunze, Fung. Sel. n. 195. 
Hab.— On the ground among short grass, moss, &c. 
Distr. — Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Finland. 
The /3 purpureum of Berkeley differs only in colour, which is dingy 
purple when fresh, and becomes indistinguishable from the typical form 
when dry. The same is true of the form called Geoglossum carneum, 
Schultz, which is said to be slender, compressed, flesh-colour, stem 
paler. The colour of the type-form, even in the same patches, varies 
in different individuals to brown, olive, and purple. 
