20 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
mould, and those that were suitable for preservation had to be
selected from the mass. The discovery followed a spell of dry
weather, chilly winds and some night frosts.
The species much resembles Trichia Botrytis Persoon: the
principal distinction is that the stalk of T. floriformis is brownish-
red or red and translucent when mounted, being free from
refuse matter, whereas that of T. Botrytis is brown and opaque.
When found in October the species was not recognised in the
field, but specimens were taken for investigation as it was thought
they might be the var. munda Lister of T. Botrytis, a form that
had not appeared recently. Examination at home at once
revealed the reddish translucent stalk and determined the species.
Miss G. Lister kindly checked the identification.
Records of T. floriformis, though not numerous, show that
the species is widespread in the British Isles. Miss Lister has
furnished this list : in England : Middlesex, Ken Wood; Surrey,
Virginia Water (X 1922, IX 1923, in abundance on old Spanish
chestnut stumps, and also X 1931 in company with Hemitrichia
Vesparium (Batsch) Macbride on an old conifer stump, Miss G.
Lister); Somerset, Failand (XI 1898, II 1902, the Misses S. M.
and Agnes Fry); Shropshire (W. B. Allen); Leicestershire,
Orton Wood (Bloxam); Wiltshire, Savernake Forest (1910,
Dr. A. Adams); in Wales: Caernarvonshire, Bettws y Coed
(IX 1924, Miss D. Cayley); in Scotland: near Aberdeen (XI
1920, Miss Davidson); in Ireland: Co. Down (X 1920, on beech
wood, Miss Rea); Co. Dublin, Powerscourt (X 1925, A. W.
Stelfox); Co. Kerry, Killarney (IX 1936, Miss Rea).
T. floriformis is recorded on the wood of conifers, oak, beech,
Spanish chestnut and willow, so its plasmodium is fairly catholic
in its tastes as regards wood. It is widely distributed in all
temperate regions.
The species was named Craterium floriforme by Schweinitz
in the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society,
Philadelphia, in 1832 ; Trichia lateritia by Levellie in Annales des
Sciences Naturelles in 1846 ; T. Botrytis var. lateritia in the
Monograph of the Mycetozoa, 2nd edition in 1911, and T. flori-
formis by Miss G. Lister in the Journal of Botany (LII. p. 110)
in 1919.