SYNONYMS—Geaster delicatus (Morgan’s Flora, also Geastrae p. 11), 
Geaster hungaricus (Gast. Hung. p. 65, a small form.) 
Geaster argenteus, specimens I have seen so labeled from Brisbane appear to 
me to be large form of G. floriformis bleached by exposure to the weather. 
Specimens in our Collection. 
New Zealand , Miss Jessie Dunn. 
Fig. 12. 
GEASTER SIMULANS.—Exoperidium thick, strongly h 
scopic. Endoperidium sessile, 
opening by an indefinite mouth. 
Spores small, globose, 4-5 mic. 
This plant from Drummond 
Australia (fig. 11), I found in 
Museum at Paris, sent by Ber¬ 
keley labeled Geaster rufescens. 
And at Kew under the same la¬ 
bel and also the same collection 
(Swan River 174), labeled G- 
hygrometricus. It has no re¬ 
semblance whatever to G. ru¬ 
fescens as now understood, but 
it is so close to G. hygrometri¬ 
cus that I doubt if any ordinary 
observer can tell them apart, 
judging from external appear¬ 
ances. The spores (fig. 12x1000) readliy 
distinguish it, being in this species the 
ordinary size of Geaster spores 4-5 mic. 
Geaster hygrometricus can always be 
recognized at once by having large rough 
spores (cfr Geastrae p. 8) 10-12 mic. in 
. diameter, such as no other known species 
of Geaster has * 
ygro- 
SECTION 2 —NON-RIGIDAE. 
Sub-Section 1.—Mouths Sulcate. 
GEASTER PEICATUS- —Exoperidium revolute. Mycelium 
layer generally adnate. Pedicel slender. Inner peridium subglobose, 
with a protruding sulcate mouth, marked at the ba^e with a d*finite area , 
strongly plicatefi 
* From the scanty knowledge we have of the Australian puff-ball forms the "flora” seems to 
be as marked in the absence of species common to the remainder of the world as in the occurrence 
of species peculiar to the country. Geaster hygrometricus is a species common over the greater 
portion of the w T oild. We have noted specimens from all over Europe and America, also Canary 
Islands, Madagascar, Guam. India, China, Japan, Madeira, Algiers and Persia, but we have no 
record of having seen a single specimen from Australia. 
t All Geasters with sulcate mouths and pedunculate etidoperidia viz : 
Geaster pectinatus, G. Bryantii, G. asper and G. S hmidelii are easily considered a single 
species as intermediate forms connecting them all are frequent. There is however, a definite idea 
associated with each species or rather name viz : 
Geaster plicatus, a definite plicate area at base of endoperidium. 
Geaster Bryantii a groove at base of endoperidium. 
Geaster pectinatus, absence of a definite plicate area or groove, though striae are frequent 
in the European plant. 
Geaster Schmidelii, small size and thicker pedicel. 
17 
