Order VI.-PATELLARIACEÆ. Fries (in part).

Cups sessile, subcoriaceous or horny, glabrous, orbicular, rarely closed at first, plane or slightly concave, black or dark-coloured (except P. pallida); asci cylindraceo-clavate; sporidia 8, coloured or hyaline; epiphytal. (Plate XI. figs. 70-72.)

Cups open from the first

Patellaria.

Cups covered with a superior deciduous excipulum Laquearia.
Cups at first closed, globose..

GENUS I.-PATELLARIA.

Heterosphæria.

Fries.

Excipulum between coriaceous and horny, naked, black, open from the first; disc punctiform, becoming gradually dilated, firm, acigerous, persistent. (Plate XI. fig. 70.)

1.

(Margin entire; sporidia vermiform

Margin pale; sporidia clavate or fusiform, medium size

Margin flexuous; sporidia minute, elliptic.

vermifera.

macrospora. flexella.

Margin thin, compressed; sporidia large, 3-septate compressa.
Margin thin, compressed; sporidia large, simple.. connivens.
Margin serrated; sporidia smaller, simple..
(Margin absent..

Sporidia brown

rubro-tingens.

Bloxami.

2

2. Sporidia hyaline; cups seated on a spot-like crust Lecideola.
Sporidia hyaline; cups emerging through the bark
(Margin tumid; sporidia brown

..

Margin crenulate; sporidia hyaline, fusiform, large Margin incurved; sporidia hyaline, slender, small Margin entire; sporidia hyaline, elliptic, minute 3. Margin entire; sporidia hyaline, oblong-fusiform, very large

Margin obtuse; sporidia hyaline, clavate, large
Margin vinous-purple; sporidia hyaline, fusiform
(Margin absent..

On dead stems of Hypericum: sporidia 3-septate..
On dead oak: sporidia 4 to 5-septate

A. SPORIDIA ELLIPTIC.

(a) Coloured, septate.

1. Patellaria lignyota. Fries.

subtectum.
lignyota.

maura.
litoralis.
minutissima.

Loncieræ. clavispora. atro-vinosa.

4

Hyperici. proxima.

Scattered or subgregarious, sessile, when dry horny, when moist softer, applanate, concave, then plane, growing black; margin tumid, subcrenulate; hymenium when moist fuliginous; asci clavate, obtuse; sporidia 8, oblongovoid, brown, 1-septate, 10 × 4u; paraphyses filiform, adherent.

Patellaria lignyota-Fries, "Sys. Myco.," ii. p. 150; B. and Br., “ Ann. Nat. Hist.," No. 579; Cooke, “Handbk.," No. 2177. Arthonia melaspermella-Nyl. in "Flora,” 1855; Leighton, "Lichen Flora," ed. iii. p. 416.

Exs.-Rabh., "Myco. Eur.," 1152; Phil., “Elv. Brit.," No. 146.

On decorticated wood.

Cups about of a line broad. No visible thallus, and much resembling a Lecidea. Opinion will differ as to the alliance of this species, but for the present I prefer to retain it as a fungus.

Name-Lignum, wood; from the habitat.

Bomere Pool, near Shrewsbury! near London (Mr. F. Currey). Oakley Park, Cirencester; Braydon Pool, Gloucestershire (Mr. Joshua).

Gregarious, sessile, applanate, plane or convex, black, flesh blackish-brown, when old immarginate; asci cylindraceo-clavate; sporidia 8, elliptic, uniseptate, brown, 10-15 × 5-8μ; paraphyses numerous, filiform, adherent, slightly thickened and brown above.

Patellaria Bloxami-Berk, in herb, Kew.

On rotten wood.

Cups about to a line broad. When young it has a very narrow margin.

Name-After the Rev. Andrew Bloxam.
Rev. A. Bloxam, without locality!

3. Patellaria olivacea. (Batsch.)

Sessile, applanate, between fleshy and waxy; externally rugulose, olivaceous; hymenium becoming black; margin prominent, tumid, entire, becoming nearly yellow; asci cylindrical; sporidia 8, elliptic or slightly turbinate, polari-guttulate, bluish-green, 9-10 × 4-5μ; paraphyses filiform, rather stout, septate, clavate at the summit.

Peziza olivacea-Batsch, "El.," f. 51; Pers., "Myco. Eur.," p. 306; Fries, "Sys. Myco.," ii. p. 142; B. and Br., "Ann. Nat. Hist.," No. 1077, t. 15, f. 22; Cooke, "Handbk.," No. 2174. Rhizina nigro-olivacea--Curr., "Linn. Trans.," xxiv. p. 494, t. 51, f. 10-12.

On rotten willow.

"It runs over the wood in an irregular manner, like the thallus of a Peltidea. In its young state it is truly Peziza-like, and very beautiful" (B. and Br.). Sporidia 7.6 to 10μ long.

Name-Oliva, an olive; of an olive-green colour.
Batheaston! (C. E. Broome, Esq.).

(b) Hyaline, simple.

4. Patellaria flexella. (Fries.)

Immersed, compressed, minute, concave, subcoriaceous, variously flexuose, black; asci clavate; sporidia 8, elliptic, 5 × 25μ; paraphyses adherent, black at the summit."

Peziza Alexella-Fries, "Sys. Myco.," ii. p. 152; "Eng. Flo.," v. p. 207; Cooke, "Handbk.," No. 2125.

333.

Exs.-Moug. and Nest., No. 1094; Roumg., "Stirpes,'

On dead wood, especially pine.

Cups about 100 to 290μ broad. This is usually regarded by lichenologists as a Xylographa; but, until this and its allies are grouped on some more satisfactory basis, we retain it here.

Name-Flexus, bowed; slightly bent.
Forres, N.B.! (Rev. Dr. Keith).

(c) Hyaline, septate.

5. Patellaria minutissima (nov. sp.).

Gregarious or scattered, very minute, sessile, when dry compressed, when moist expanded; externally blackishbrown; margin entire, incurved; hymenium fuliginousbrown; asci clavate or cylindraceo-clavate; sporidia 8, elliptic, hyaline, 2 to 3-guttulate, at length 3-septate, 6 × 3μ; paraphyses filiform, slightly enlarged at the bent apices.

On decayed wood.

Cups about 300μ broad; when dry somewhat im mersed in the wood.

Name-Minutus, minute; very minute.

Near Shrewsbury!

B. SPORIDIA OBLONG OR OBLONG-ELLIPTIC.

(a) Hyaline, simple.

6. Patellaria pallida. Berk.

Gregarious, sessile, pallid, with a somewhat obtuse margin; sporidia biseriate, oblong, slightly curved; 12μ long.

Patellaria pallida-Berk., "Ann. Nat. Hist.," No. 1831; "Grevillea," vii. p. 8.

On smooth bark! (Rev. A. Bloxam).

(b) Hyaline, septate.

7. Patellaria proxima. B. and Br.

Orbicular, shield-like, depressed, somewhat immersed, black; hymenium same colour or brown-black; asci clavate; sporidia 8, oblong, obtuse at the ends, slightly curved, 4 to 5-septate, 17-25 × 5—6μ; paraphyses free, filiform, slender, branched.

Patellaria proxima-B. and Br., "Ann. Nat. Hist.," No. 965, t. 16, f. 18; Cooke, “Handbk.,” No. 2170. P. parvula-Cooke, "Handbk.," 2178.

Exs. Cooke, "Fung. Brit.," No. 660; Phil., "Elv. Brit.," No. 147.

On dead oak.

"Closely resembling P. atrata, but differing materially in the fruit" (B. and Br.).

Name-Proximus, nearest, next; from its approaching another species.

Barking! (Berkeley and Broome). Shrewsbury!

8. Patellaria Hyperici. Phil.

Gregarious, very minute, innate-sessile, applanate, immarginate, glabrous, blackish-brown; asci broadly clavate; sporidia 8, biseriate, oblong-elliptic, triseptate, 17—20 × 5—8μ; paraphyses filiform.

Patellaria Hyperici-Phil. in " Grevillea,” x. p. 69.
On dead stems of Hypericum.

Cups 100 to 300μ broad, at first innate, then emerging. The sporidia of this species germinate freely within the ascus, thrusting the germ-tubes through the walls of the ascus; the free sporidia often present a germ-tube twice their length while yet in the hymenium. Name Hypericum, a genus of Hypericacea; growing on Hypericum.

Shrewsbury!