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Show The Hijlory of P L A N T S. 6. Mycedium planum lame/lis long~lftmis. The flat Mycedium with very long lame/Ice. This is alfo an extreamly beautiful fpeci es, ancl perfeCtly different .from all the reft. It grows to the rocks by a broad bafe, which is often placed at one edge, not in the center, as in the other M ycedia ; from this it expands into various long and broad plates, of different thickneffes, and very irregular figures. The under fur fctce of thefe is ofren protuberant in fome places, and hollowed in others, and is irregularly furrowed with longitudinal lines running from the bafe toward the edge; its upper furface has a number of irregular gyri, broad, folid, and white, fometimes plain, fometimes punCtated on their furface; ancl between thefe there run very longand confiderably thick lamellce. This often grows to a foot or more in length, and near as much in breadth, Imperatus has defcribed it under the name of Fungus petrofus, and Boerhaave under that of Fungus coralloides agarici forma. It is frequent about the American iflands. After thefe general defcriptions of the more fin gular fpecies of the M ycedium, the others will eafily be known by their names: They are, 1. A yellowifh-white Brain !lone Myccdium, with thin gyri. 2. A large kind, with blacki!h gyri, and white lamellx. 3· The Brainfione Mycedium, with its cavities divided by tranfverfe fepta. 4· The Brainflone Mycedium, wi~h extreamly thin lamellc:e. 5· The Brainfione Mycedium, with large cavities. 6. The Cup Mycedium, with lamellated pores. 7· The Cup Mycedium, with undulated lamince. 8. The funnel-!baped Cup Mycedium. 9· The high-ridged, flat Mycedium. The!e are the different fpecies hitherto known, beGde thofe already defcribed : uefcriptions of thefe would be tedious, and are nnnece!fary, as the general firuti:ure is the fame in all, and their fpecific names are fufficient to exprefs their differences. The variety of the Mycedia is indeed almofi infinite; and people who do not examine their real charaCters, but judge of them by their form, might' extend the number of fuppofed fpecies to more than a thoufand. Where we know nature fports in variation fo much, we are to be upon our guard againll: taking varieties for fpecies. All the Mycedia I have feen may be jullly referred to one or other of thefe kinds. All thefe Mycedia, and many of the Afl:erre<I! of the following genus, are taken up by the people of the W efl: Indies for burning into lime. They make a very good fort, but lefs durable than that burnt from hard fione. S U B M A R l N E S. Clafs the Firfl. Genus the Second. ASTER lEA. A S T E R 1E A is a genus of Submarines, confilling of a fiony matter, formed . into ~mple. or unbran~he~ maffc s, regularly cavernofe and lame.llated, made up of foltd gyrs, or ndges, runmng mto round, or nearly round configurations, and forming cavi~les of th~ f~u:n e f11ape, which have lamella! propagated from their fide s, and convergmg to a p01nt m the center, and by that means produce in each cavity the figure of a radiared fi:ar. · No part of. fi·u0-ification has ever been difcovered in any of the fpecies of this genus; but the botanic ~nters hav~, from the ~g ure of a flar in the cavities, given it the name of Fungus Afl:rottes , or, i~mply, .A~tottes: the f.:'lme word AOroites being ufed famewhat more properly for tl11S body 111 1ts foffile fiate, we have to avoid confufion called it in its native !late Afierxa. ' ' r. /.fflercea Jlellis majoribus ovatis. The large, oval .flarred Ajlercea. This is. one of the ~ea~ beautiful fpecies of this genus; it is of a coarfe firutture, and du~y white colour; 1t nfes from a broad bafe, and expands into a large thick mafs, of an megularly convex figure. Its general fize is that of a man's head, but is often twi'ce or thrice as large. Its furface is formeg of gyri, arranged into irregularly oval figures, with 'Ibe Hijlory of P L A N T S. 5 with .no ~pa ces between them, and the cavities of them furni01ed with !hort lamell~ meetmg 111 the ~enter; the ma~ter of the gyri is coarfe, and they are confiderably thick, and fomewhat tounded on their furfaces. They are often worn down by the motion of the fea, an~ are then found to be cavernous in their firueture. The lamellre are mode~ately ~hic.k, and are not placed very near one another. This fpecies ~s fre9.uent about the !bores of the Eafl:. Indies, and in many other places. ~efler has defcnbed It under the name of Fungus lapideus porofus · and Boerhaave calls 1t Fungus coralloides afl:.roites. ' 2. Ajlercea .ftellis majori!Jus, rotundiori!Jus. Tbe A.ftercea, with large, round }Jars. This is a very beautiful fpecies. It grows to a confiderable fize, a foot in di ... ameter, or more than that ; and is of a beautiful white colour, and great hardnefs. It adheres to. the ~-ocks by a broad bafe, and from thence it extends itfelf in a circular manner! nfing mt~ t.he form of a feg1:1ent of a fphere. It's whole furfitce, in fight fi·om above, IS ftarry; ~t IS formed of gyn, confiderably thick, folid, and of the colour and appearance of white mar~le. Thefe run into very regular circles, and form a beautiful appearance. :r-:r ature IS not fo perfeCtly regular in the firucture of this body but ~~~t fome of the crrcles blend with, or injure one another, and by that means pr~duce 111e_gu lar figures; but ti:e greater part are very perfeCtly round; and, as circles are figures which can only touch In !i'?all parts, ti:ere a.re fpa~es .of various figures interfperfed every-where between the cucles, by wh1ch this fpecies IS, at fight, difi:ingui!bed from the former. ~hefe fpaces ar~ ~lled .u P. with lamellce, produced from the external furfaces of the gyn; and the cavitr~s wHhm the gyri are regularly and beautifully fiellated, Jamellce from all parts o~ the mternal furface running to n1eet in the center. Thefe lamella! are moderately thick, and fiand at a confiderable difiance from one another. Th~re fre9uently are. not more than ten, fometimes only five or fix of them in each cavJty~ wtth ~he rud1~e~ts of fome imperfeCt: ones between. This b_ea~Ittf~l fpecies IS found about the flwres of Jamaica. The difi:metiOns bet~een thefe Afl:errere have been fo little attended to by authors, that we ca~n.ot fix a~y ~erta1~ fynonymon for this fpecies : it is probably one of the Fungi c? r~llOI~ Is afl:.rOJtldis vanre fpec1es of Boerhaave ; but he has not been at the pains to difl:.mgmill them, 3· A.ftercea .flellis minori!Jus rotttndis. The fmall, round-jlarred Ajlercea. Th~s is an extreamly elegant fpecies, and is lefs common, as well as more beautiful, than. either of the former. From a roundi!h flat bafc it expands itfelf into a very convex but I_rregularly-fi~ure~ mafs, fome~imes roundi{h, oftener oblong. It is very white, and of a vety firm textme: Its ~fual fize IS that of a man's fifl:; but it fometimes grows confiderably larger. Its fu.rface IS for.med of gyri, fmooth, folid, and conliderably thick, which form themfelves mto roundii11 figures, fometimes perfeCt:, but oftener injured by one another. The ~~aces between thefe are as beautifully lamellated as the cavities they form : . the cavities themfelves are very fmall, and are filled with numerous and very thm lamella!, placed fo .clofe, t?at there are often between twenty and thirty in a cell._ ~hey ar~ of a lefs bnght whit~ than the gyri, but they make a very beautiful figu1e~ I.efemblmg mofi of all the fpec1es, a radiated ftar. Th1s IS found about the fhorcs of Antegoa, and in fome other parts of America. 4· Ajlercea Jlellis magnis angulatis. The great angular-flarred Ajlercea. This is one of the largefl:. fpecies of this genus: 'tis of an extreamly folid and firm ~ex~u~e, and of a yellow~!h-white colour; though the yellownefs eafily wears off: on Its hemg expofed to the air. It grows to the rocks by a firm bafe, which conforms itfelf ~~ ~1 e iliape of t?e part. of the rock it grows to; and from this it extends itfelf to b g teen or more mches m breadth: its maffes are ufually rounded, and fomewhat convex, ut m~re ~:tted than thofe of any of the others. Its fnrface is compofed of gyri, which are ve1 Y thick, and fomewhat rounded on their furface: thefe touch in all points, {o that C there |