PHELLORINA AUSTRALIS.—Stem short. Outer peridium 
rugulose,* light yellow. Gleba bright ochra- 
ceous. Spores globose, rough, 5-(> mic. 
It is with considerable doubt that we 
refer a specimen received from F. M. Reader 
(Fig. 7) to Berkeley’s species. The plant 
differs from Phellorina Delastrei in its shorter 
stem, the peridium not covered with loose 
scales, the bright ochraceous color of the 
gleba. The type specimen of Phellorina 
australis (Xylopodium australe Linn. Jour. 
13, 171) at Kew is very old, almost without 
gleba and has a much longer stem than the 
plant sent by Mr Reader. Fi 7 
Specimens in our Collection. 
Warracknabeal, Australia, F. M. Reader. 
THE GENUS BATTARREA. 
Young plants enclosed in a volva. Peridium stalked, opening 
circumscissally, the top falling away leaving the gleba borne on a lower 
half of the peridium. Gleba yellow-ferruginous, consisting of globose, 
minutely warted spores, subhyaline capillitium, and a special capilliti- 
um that no other genus has This “false capillitium” consists of thick 
cells with the walls spirally thickened which are known as “annulated 
cells.” 
The genus Battarrea is a wide-spread genus, but the individuals 
gre usually of rare occurrence. The plants (see plate 28) present a 
strange appearance. Recently the theory has been advanced that all 
forms belong to the same species and it must be admitted that the 
gleba characters, spores, capillitium and •‘annulate cells” are nearly 
the same in all of them. However, the plants vary in different countries 
very much as to size and stature as well as the nature of the scales on 
the stem and I think five speciesf or forms can be distinguished. 
BATTARREA PHALLOIDES (Plate 28, fig. 1) —This is the 
little species, with fine stem scales which grows in England and France. 
Many of the specimens we have seen have stems no thicker than a lead 
pencil. Such little plants from Australia are at Kew, collected at Is¬ 
raelite Bay by Miss Brooks. 
BATTARREA STEVENII (Plate 28, fig. 2 & 3).- This form 
is originally known from Russia. It differs from the English form in 
its more robust growth and the thick, lacerated scales covering the 
stipe. It is unquestionably only a form of B. phalloides and cannot be 
distinguished b)^ any sharp lines. There are specimens from Australia 
* Probably from drying. It seems to me it was even and smooth when fresh, 
t Battarrea phalloides, Stevensii, Digueti, Guieciardiniana and levfspora. 
11 
