ASCOMYCETES 
181 
it in decurrent lines. S. 3 in., up to 1 in. thick at the base, 
attenuated upwards, stuffed, more or less scaly, whitish, then 
stained red, flesh red with age or when bruised. R. large 
entire, striate, drooping. V. almost absent; the bulbous base 
of the stem is more or less concentrically grooved. A 
common woodland species in sum. and aut. Variable, but 
very distinctive in the red colour of the flesh when bruised. 
A. spissa ( spissus , crowded—from the small, crowded 
warts) comes near to the above, but the flesh is persistently 
white ; the pileus umber, grey or sooty. 
A. nitida ( nitidus , shining—from the shining pileus) may 
be easily recognised by the shining, whitish pileus, carrying 
large, thick, brownish, angular warts. 
Order ASCOMYCETES 
It is quite impossible to consider in detail the numerous 
families and genera comprised in this Order. The majority 
of species are small, and cannot be accurately determined 
without the aid of the microscope. Some of the most 
conspicuous and (chiefly) common species are delineated on 
Plates XLVII. and XLVIII. The following notes for the 
most part concern these. 
Sub-order DISCOMYCETES 
(See p. 14) 
Peziza (Lachnea) hemispkerica, “ Hairy Blue Elf-cup.” 
Plate XVI. 2. 
Asc. J-f in., stalkless ; globose at first; at maturity plane, 
or almost so ; the margin slightly raised or turned back, 
sometimes wavy. Exterior dingy brown, covered with long 
spreading brown hairs, arranged in small clusters. Disc 
bluish-white. Frequent in hedges and shady places in aut., 
scattered or gregarious, superficial or more or less buried in 
the soil. Easily recognised by the bluish-white disc. 
