DISCOMYCETES RECORDED IN ESSEX.
27
NOTES ON SOME SPECIES RECENTLY RECORDED.
SEPULTARIA SEPULTA (Fr.). Mass.
Two fine specimens of this rare and attractive fungus were
found under a cedar tree at Faulkbourne on the occasion of
the Club's visit on May 6th, 1939. The specimens were about
3 cm. in diameter and the stellate splitting of the rim into seven
triangular lobes was remarkably even.
CILIARIA CONFUSA (Cooke). Boud.
A densely heaped growth covering some 18 square inches of
burnt ground in Knighton Wood was found on August 14th,
1939. The brown ascophores, 4-5 mm. across, are not at all
conspicuous even when growing in such profusion. The species
is one of comparatively few with spherical spores.
CILIARIA SETOSA (Nees). Boud.
This conspicuous orange-red species is of frequent occurrence
on old trunks in Epping Forest, but has been only infrequently
recorded for the country as a whole. In all my gatherings
the epispore has been smooth and, so far, I have only once found
(in Lords Bushes) the very commonly recorded Ciliaria scutellata
(Linn.) Quel, with markedly rough epispore.
ASCOPHANUS TESTACEUS (Moug.). Phili.
Occurred in large clusters of pale brick-red colour on a frag-
ment of linen in Knighton Wood on October 10th, 1938. The
material was kept in my garden for a year, when it again yielded
a good growth.
POLYDESMIA PRUINOSA (B. & Br.). Boud.
A fallen beech branch at Loughton Camp carried about 100
ascophores on February 26th, 1939. The species is minute
and has disproportionately large spores (up to 26 x 4μ) which
are attractive from being triseptate and slightly sinuous.
HELOTIUM HERBARUM (Pers.). Fr.
A growth of some hundreds of ascophores was found on
November 4th, 1939, on the lower part of dead Rudbeckia
stems in my garden adjoining Knighton Wood.
HELOTIUM PHYLLOGENON Rehm.
A minute species, of which ten ascophores were found on a
withered beech-leaf in Knighton Wood on October 8th, 1938.
All were on the underside of the leaf and growing on the veins.