58 
GASTEROMYCETES 
Family HYMEN OGASTRACEiE 
(The False Truffles) 
KEY TO THE GENERA 
Octaviania. 
Melanogaster. 
Hydnangium. 
Hysterangium. 
Rliizopogon. 
Hymenogaster. 
Sterile base present. Spores globose, warted. 
Sterile base absent. Gleba cells larger in the centre. 
Spores elliptical, smooth. Peridium traversed by 
branching fibres. 
Sterile base absent. Spores globose, warted. 
Peridium separable. Mature gleba of a cartilaginous 
mucus consistency. 
Gleba cells of equal size. Peridium traversed by 
branching fibres. 
Sterile base present. Spores elliptical, rugulose. 
OCTAVIANIA 
(After Dr. Vincent Ottaviani) 
0 . asterosperma (Gr. aster , a star ; spevma , a seed—from the 
star-shaped spores). Plate XVII. 9. 
Per. in., globose, whitish, becoming greenish-blue or 
black when bruised, always with abundant cord-like myce¬ 
lium. Amongst rotten branches and leaves in aut., near the 
surface or partially exposed. Smell sweet. Frequently 
attacked by a bright orange mould, Sepedonium chrysospermum. 
MELANOGASTER 
(Gr. melas, black; gastev , the stomach—from the black 
interior) 
M. variegatus (from the variegated gleba). 
Per. 2\ in., globose or nodularly oval, yellowish, minutely 
granular; section blue-black, marbled with yellow; cells 
larger in the centre. Scentless at first, with a pleasant 
almondy smell at maturity. This is the “ Red Truffle ” of 
Bath, sold in the markets of that city in the early part of 
