The English flora - SeaweedAfrica

164 lichenes. [Spiloma.
6. L. virescens, Sm. (dull-green Lepraria); crust filmy greyish,
sporules rather large subgelatinous deep green greyish
when dry collected into a thickish crustaceous mass. Turn, and
Borr. Lich. Br. p. 17. E. Bot. t. 2149.
Trunks of old trees, principally Elm, in Sussex, Surry, Suffolk and
generally near the ground.
Norfolk ;
7. L. cinereo-suJphurea, Ach. (yellow-grey Lepraria); very
thin submembranaceous whitish the surface scattered over
with very minute aggregated granules greenish-yellow at first
afterwards cinereous. Ach. Syn. p. 330. Grew Fl. Edin.
p. 352.
On the trunks of Scotch Firs, near Edinburgh, Dr. Greville.
8. L. Jolithus, Ach. ? (violet-scented Lepraria); crust filmy
greyish, sporules extremely minute very red collected into a
thin even powdery mass. Turn, and Borr. Lich. Br. p. 19.
E. Bot. t. 2471.
—
L. rubens, Ach. Syn. p. 331 Byssus Joli-
thus, Linn. Sp. Pip. 1638 ?
On hoarded buildings, old pales, and trunks of trees ; on rocks in
mountainous countries, sometimes on walls.—This plant is no less remarkable
for its colour, than for the violet odour which it yields on being
rubbed, and which remains with the plant long after it has been dried.
Under Byssus Jolithus, two plants have been described, one filamentous,
the other pulverulent. The latter is our Lepraria ; the former is the
Chroolepus Jolithus of Ag. Sysl.Alg. p. 34 ; nearly allied to the Chr. Uchenicola
of the same author, Conferva lichenicola, E. Bot. t. 1609.
9. L. nigra, Turn, and Borr. (black Lepraria); crust filmy
greyish, sporules extremely minute black collected into a continuous
thin even powdery mass. Turn, and Borr. Lich. Br.
p. 21. E. Bot. t. 2409.
On squared timber. It forms large ink-like stains on the square tops
of posts and other timber.
10. Spiloma. Ach. Spiloma.
Thallus crustaceous, spreading, adnate, uniform. Apothecia
none. Sporules naked, coloured, collected into compact tumid
masses.—Name; miXa/ax, scattered spots ; from the appearance
of the fructifications.— " The transition" say Messrs. Turner
and Borrer (to whom we are indebted for all that is most valuable
respecting this Genus) "from the Leprarice to the Spilomata,
is easy and simple ; a single step, and that a short one, seems
sufficient to lead us from the propagula (sporules) of the former,
scattered indiscriminately and constituting altogether what
appears to be a barren crust, to those of the latter, collected indeed
here and there into little clusters, called pulvimdi, but, at
the same time, destitute of any integument or even margin, and
wholly simple in their construction ; except that in some species
may be discerned, by accurate observation, a small fleshy disk ;
which probably would be found to exist equally in all, did not
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