known in Europe or America.* Polysaccum umbrinum, a form with umber-brown 
gleba. It was described as Scleroderma umbrinum (Grev. 19-45) but the perfect 
peridioles are quite evident in the type specimen. Favillea argillacea (Fungi Natal, 
p. 32), is probably a synonym.f 
POL\ SACCl M CRASSIPES (Plate 29, fig. 3 &4).—Peridium tapering into 
a strong, thick, rooting base. The typical form in Europe and America is a strong 
plant with a thick, rooting base as large as a man’s wrist. I have not seen the 
typical form from Australia. Smaller forms are more common and shade into the 
previous form. Fig. 4 is from an Australian specimen. 
SYNONYMS.— Polysaccum turgidum(Fr. Syst. 3-53) has been recorded from 
Australia, Polysaccum marmoratum (Linn. Jour. 13-171) a small, slender, spotted 
form due to unequal development of the coloring matter in the peridium 
POLYSACCUM TUBEROSUM (Plate 29, fig. 5 & 6).—A globose form with 
scarcely any stem or rooting base. It is rare in Europe and usually has a black, 
smooth peridium. I have seen no typical specimens from Australia, but Polysac¬ 
cum pusillum (Jour, de Bot. 03-13) from New Caledonia I consider a synonym. 
POLYSACCUM CONFUSUM—(Grev. 16-76) (Syn. Polysaccum australe 
Grev. 5-29) is a form with small spores, almost smooth, and very thin walls to the 
peridioles. The figure Handbook No. 124 is much too yellow and the peridioles 
are not near so large as there shown. 
Specimens in our Collection. 
(Typical form as to shape) 
Adelaide, Australia , Walter Gill, (Spores vary 6-12mic.) 
New Caledonia, from P. Hariot, (Spores 6-7 mic.) 
Melbourne, Australia, W. P_. Guilfoyle, (Spores 8-9 mic.) 
(Form approximating crassipes) 
Melbourne, W. R. Guilfoyle, (Spores 6-7 mic.) 
Sydney , Australia, R. T. Baker, (Spores 8-9 mic.) 
(Form tuberosum) 
Grantville , Australia, J. T. Paul, (Spores 5-6 mic.) 
New Caledonia, from P. Hariot (Spores 8-12 mic.) 
THE GENUS SCLERODERMA. 
Peridium single, usually thick, opening by an irregular mouth 
or (in one section of the genus) splitting into stellate segments. Gleba 
homogenous. Capillitium none. Spores globose, rough, usually mixed 
with remains of the hyphae tissue 
Scleroderma is common and of world wide distribution. The 
genus can be recognized at once, but the species are very puzzling, 
running into each other in a most perplexing manner. J The genus is 
readily divided into two sections. 
Sterrebeckia. Peridium splitting into stellate lobes. 
Euscleroderina. Peridium opening by an irregular mouth. 
* The spores of the European forms run 8-10 mic. Many specimens from Australia have 
spores 5-7 mic. 
t The type does not exist. The genus is said to have “rare capillitium from the base of the 
peridium.” I have seen in Fries’ herbarium a specimen of Favillea degenerans (Plant. Priess 
p. 159, I’olysaccum? degenerans Cooke’s Hand, p.245) which is a Polysaccum with very fragile 
peridioles. 
I The Friesian arrangement of species has generally been followed in Europe since the 
appearance of Systema. The following are the leading characters of the Friesian species: 
S. Geaster, Peridium splitting into stellate lobes. 
S. vulgare, Peridium thick opening by an irregular mouth. 
S. verrucosum, Peridium thin, opening by an irregular mouth. 
S. Bovista, yellow flocci mixed in the gleba. 
Scleroderma vulgare, I think should be split in two species following Persoon. S. aurantia- 
cum with large rough scaly warts. S. cepa relatively smooth and paler. It is very rarely that 
we find specimens of Sclerodermas without yellow flocci in the gleba though the character is 
much more strongly developed in some specimens than in others. Still I feel that S. Bovista is 
not a practicable species. 
^ This section is the basis of the genus “Sclerangium”, a genus I think based on an error, 
(cfr. Myc. Notes, p. 182.) 
13 
