Fries says of this plant, or rather of what have been referred to it, "Farrago specierum rnhiimarnm" and under it two very different productions are given in the 'Scleromycetes Suecicas,' (no. 38). Of one of these, both a larger and smaller form occur ; the other is identical with what has been published as a small state of Spharia complanuta. I have given, at nos. 267 and 288, of my British 'Fungi' (Fasc. 4th), the latter as Fries's var. minor of Sp. herbarum and Sp. complanata intending to illustrate his views, and with no idea that it woidd prove identical with any of the larger or normal species, which are well distinguished by their sporidia. These, in the true S. herbarum, are oblong, with several longitudinal and transverse dissepiments, bke what are seen in Spharia Labunii, in the specimens before me from Auckland Island and in the larger English form. The plant published in my ' Fasciculi' is destitute of asci, which is the case with S. acuta, Hoffni. The analysis of the latter plant as given by Greville, belongs to S. coniformis which often occurs on the same stem. It is not properly a Spharia but either a Spharonema or a Septoria, as extended by Desmazieres, or finally, if Spharia be remodelled according to the plan upon which De Notaris has revised the Itahan species, it will come under some new generic name.
On carefully removing the cuticle of the Cliry&obactrou, I find that in the specimens before me the perithecia give out a few stout filaments which creep for a short distance ; this I believe to be a common occurrence with the subcuticular species. On the same stalks, individuals having the same external characters occur, in which the sporidia are uniseptate. This form I at first believed to be a distinct species, but am now satisfied that it is an imperfect state of S. herbarum ; especially since three septa are sometimes visible.
Plate LXVIII. Fig. III. — 1, stem of Chrysobactrou with fungus of natural size;
2, portion of ditto, magnified;
3, ascus of S. herbarum ; 4, the same, of an immature specimen ; 5, sporidia of ditto : — highly magnified.
2. Spileria nebuhsa, Pers. ? Synops. Fung.]). 31.
Hab. With the former.
Very imperfect ; as are also the published descriptions of S. nebuhsa itself.
3. SPHiBRiA nigrella, Fries? Si/st. Mycol. v. ii. p. 512. Hab. With the two former.
Specimens, unfortunately without fructification and therefore scarcely determinable.
4. Spileria plueosticta, Berk. ; gregaria, peritheciis globosis atris epidermide fusco-maculato tectis, ostiolo prominulo punctiformi, ascis liiiearibus, sporidiis uniserialibus fuscis breviter cymbiformibus. (Tab. LXVIII. Fig. IV.)
Hab. Lord Auckland's group and Campbell's Island; on the dead leaves of Hierochloe Bnnonis.
Gregaria, ocido nudo maeulas parvas punctiformes brunneolas exhibens, sub quaque macula perithecium minutum globosum ostiolo subprominulo punctiformi latitat. Asci prirnum breves, sporidiis pellucidis ellipticis biserialibus demum lineares, sporidiis fuscis breviter cymbiformibus uniserialibus, nucleo magno globoso.
I know of no species at all resembling the present. The change in the form of the asci and sporidia is very instructive and confirms me in my opinion, that Spharia herbarum and its accompanying uniseptate state belong to the same species (vid. supra). It is worthy of observation, that the sporidia exhibit these changes whilst still colourless. Septa are however sometimes formed as in the genus Diplodia after the sjoores have acquired their colour.
Plate LXVIII. Fig. TV. — 1, leaf and fungus of the natural size; 2, portion of the same, magnified; 3, an immature and mature ascus ; 4, sporidia : — all magnified.
