Geographical Distribution. 
The plant is only known from Ceylon and British India. The specimen 
sent me by Mr. Cave grew on a manure pile. 
Specimens in our Collection. 
Ceylon , Hugh F. MacMillan, British India , Geo. H. Cave. 
288—THE GENUS SCHIZOSTOMA. 
(Plate 20.) 
A misunderstood genus from the day it was proposed by Ehren- 
berg, *1 consider it a valid genus, certainly as distinct from Tylostoma, 
as the genus Chlamydopus. I do not take it in the sense it is found in 
Saccardo, as a section of Tylostoma, for it includes but a single species, 
Schizostoma laceratum. This plant, the type specimen of Ehrenbergf 
is found in the Museum at Berlin, also abundant specimens collected in 
recent years by Schweinfurth in Africa. It is in no other museum 
to my knowledge. 
The genus Schizostoma, differs from Tylostoma in the nature of 
the peridium. This is very fragile, and dehisces in the manner of a 
Calvatia by an irregular breaking up of the upper portion. It is given 
in Saccardo as a section of Tylostoma, including the species with 
“ irregular mouths” but the genus Schizostoma has no mouth. 
Fries, who had seen Ehrenberg’s plant, referred it to Tylo¬ 
stoma, and Eeveille who I think never saw it, had a mistaken idea of 
it. He restored the genus, and included all species of Tylostoma with 
irregular mouths. It is Eeveille’s genus Schizostoma, that in Sac¬ 
cardo is classed as a section of Tylostoma. 
SCHIZOSTOMA LACERATUM. 
This plant which is the only species of the genus, is only known 
from Equatorial Africa, but has been collected abundantly in recent 
years by Schweinfurth, whose specimens are at Berlin. That it 
probably does not occur in Northern Africa I infer, from the fact that 
it is not found in the museum at Paris, especially rich in North African 
plants. The plant has a close resemblance to a Tylostoma and could 
be well classed with this genus. 1 To my mind, the difference between 
it and Tylostoma is the same as between Calvatia and Eycoperdon. 
The upper portion of the peridium breaks away in pieces and does not 
open by a definite mouth. 
The stem is long, cylindrical, and inserted into a socket at base 
of peridium as in a Tylostoma. While the plant certainly has a veil in 
the young condition, there are but few indications of it in the mature 
plant. The peridium is brown, very thin, the upper portion breaking 
irregularly away when the plant matures. The gleba is a rich brown 
-' I have not seen the original publication “ Nees Horae physieae berolinenses,” as cited by 
Fries, and I do not know whether it was published or was only a mss. name as stated in Saccardo. 
11 neglected to note whether Hhrenberg gives gives a locality but think not. 
t There is no serious objection to classing it as a Tylostoma, as the amount of difference 
necessary to constitute a genus is entirely a matter of individual opinion and cannot be defined 
by rules. But there is a strong objection to classing it in the section with Tylostoma volvulatum. 
f ranulosum, etc., for (notwithstanding Hollds thinks it is the same as volvulatum) it differs- 
rom all these plants much more than they do from the other “section” of the genus. 
192 
