THE GENUS BOVISTA. 
Sterile base none. Capillitium of short, separate, branching- 
threads. Peridium cartilaginous, papery. 
The genus Bovista is a very common genus in Europe and 
America, but strangely rare in Australia.* The plants are typical 
“tumblers” breaking away from the roots when mature and rolling over 
the ground. The following is the only species we have seen from 
Australia. 
Fig, 35. Fig. 36. 
BOVISTA BRUNNEA.—Globose. Peridium bro7un , smooth, 
cartilaginous. Capillitium of separate threads (fig. 25). Spores globose 
(or slightly oval) smooth, 4-5 mic., with long slender pedicels (fig. 26). 
This plant was collected in New Zealand by Colenso. Berkeley 
notes the close resemblance of this plant to Bovista plumbea from 
which it seems to differ only in the brown color of the peridium, not a 
very good specific character. 
THE GENUS MYCENASTRUM. 
This genus is characterized by the glo¬ 
bose form, thick peridium and absence of 
sterile base. The threads of the Australian 
species are short, separate and furnished 
with little spiny points (fig. 27.) No other 
known puff-ball has a similar capillitium.f 
MYCENASTRUM CORIUM (Fig. 28) 
Peridium thick, hard, almost woody. It 
varies in thickness from one to four milli- 
Fi s- meters. When young the cortex is smooth 
or with a felty appearance, but it dries up and disappears in the very 
old specimens. Often it cracks in areas as shown in our fig. 28. 
Of the seven species given in Cooke’s Handbook, five are Catastomas and one a Calvatia- 
The apparent absence from the Australian flora of Bovista plumbea, nigreseens and pila, the 
three common species of America and Rurope, also of kanopila bicolor a similar plant of the 
tropics, seems remarkable. 
f But whether it is advisable to limit the genus to this one species on this character is not 
assured. 
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