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Show 2 'The Hiflory of p L A N T S. 4 f h' h. . h f h b'gnefs 'of a walnut rom w tc It termt-has a kind of bulb near t at part, 0 t e 1 f the thicl~nefs of a man's thumb nates downward in a fort ~f blunltl cone, an? goe~~J?; ~fa whitiih colour fucculent and 11 . th"' head where 1t fwe s out agam. 1 . . .' k fl. {h d tl d~e.at The he;d is about two inches and a half in diameter; It IS th1c ' e y, an ~e;d;l,~ted at the edges. It is not at all elevated in the center~ ?ut ofteniira~her de~effe~ . It is thinneO: at the edges, and is, throug~out, f~nooth on 1t s upper ur ace. n t e d ·t ·s formed into a multitude of httle fptcul::e, of a come figure, and of about un erhparft 1 1. h . 1 ngth The whole plant is of a whitilh colour, and of a good a fixt o an me m e · · 1 d 1 ii d £i fmell. The flowet s fiand fingly on the upper parts of the fptcu a:!J an t 1e ee s a ter-- wards appear on the lower. · h · · Ch 1 · · · · 1 re but it is not common. I have met w1t It m ar ton- F Tl~s.fpesc1~ ts .a n0ar;:oebe1re 'We do not eat it but in Italy, where it is more com-oren 111 uuex In LL • ' • 11 · F mon, it is brought to market for that purpofe. J. Bauhme ca s It ungus pcene can-didos, prona parte erinaceus. 2. Acontia cyathijormis coriacea. The tough, hollow Acontia. Th's ·5 a very fingular fpedes. It rifes from the earth with a pedicle of an inch, or ii 1 h 1 t more in length and about a fiflh of an inch in thicknefs, tolerably toug~, a~~e;:r aa yellowiih-brown ~olour. On the top ~f this fi:ands a. head, of t?e ihape of a h 11 • ·t d cone or of a common drinkmg-glafs. It 1s near an mch and half . 0 ho~,htmveJdeas mu~h in diameter at the top from whence it defcends gradual1y I!in , lelig t; lj~ bafe where it ends of the thicknefs' of the pedicle. This head is through-omu. tl oefr a dufky, fer' ruginous yellowifh colour. 1t •s p1a m• fi~d ; I·S mar k ed WI' th. a nu. mber of arallel circles, and covered with . a. fine foft dow~ ; It s other .fide, whrc~, m the con~ition it is in, in this hollow fi:ate, IS It's outer one, IS cove.red wnh ihort fp1cul::e, or oints; they are broadeO: at the ba(e, and fmall at the extrermty, and are not more than fhe tenth of an inch in length. About thefe hang the anthera;: and the feeds of the plant.: the former are oblong, the latter round, and extremely mmute. The whole plant rs tough, and of a very bad fmell. It is found in o.ur wood~, but not. very common.. I have met with it in Leicefl:er!hire, and have receive? fp~cimens of It from Yorkfrme; dfewhere I have not heard of it. Sterbeck defcnbes It under the name of ~ungus campanulatus ligno!us. 3. Acontia pediculo teneriore. The thin, tender-Jlalked Acontia. This is extremely different in it's general form from all the ?ther fpeci~s of this. genus. riCes from the ground with a fmall, fine, and tender ped1cle, two mches h1gl~, as. thin as a [mall packthread, and of a pale brownifh-yellow colour.. ~n the fummlt of this fiands a bead of about half an inch in diameter, and of a femwrb1cular figure. It is foft and hairy, of a pale yellowiih-brown colour,. and. of an une~e.n furface. The hollow, or under part, is thick fet with oblong, come fp1cul;:e, on. wntch ftand ~he antherre and the feeds. It is a very elegant little plant, but of an Ill fmell. It .Is not a native of England, but in the wood~ in th~ Eafi: lnd.ies it is c~m1~on .. Breynms calls it Fungus, non vcfcus echinatus, mmor, h1rfutus, pileolo fem~orb1culan fufc~. . The other fpecies of this genus are not numerous, and they WJ!l eafily be dtfl:mgmf?ed by_ their names : .they are, r. !he pale-yellow,. efculent Acont.Ja. 2. The brownl ~lycllow, large, difco1de AcontJa. 3· The conaceou~, ferrugmeous, fm.all Acont~a, growing in clufi:ers. 4· The black, ramofe Acont1a. 5· The ¥ellowrih Acontta, with grey, oblong teeth. 6. The fquammofe, black-headed Acont1a. 7· The black, funnel-fafhionedJ tough Acontia. FUN GI. The Hi}Jory of P L A N T S. 43 F U N G L Clajs tbe Second. Genus the Fiftb. L E 0 T I A. L E 0 T I A is a genus of Fungi, confifiing of a pedicle and a head: the head is plain on it's upper furface, and neither porous, Iamellated, nor echinated in it's under one, but perfeCtly fmoothJ and produces feparate male and female flowers; the male :flowers confifl:ing only of fingle anther::e, affixed to every fhort filament, and the female flowers having no part vifible, except the feeds, which are fmall and round. Thefe male and female flowers are placed on the different parts of the fame furface of the head, fametimes on the upper furface, and fometimes on the under. i. Leoti a teneri or elatior capitulo cavo. Tbe tender, taller Leotia, with a hollow head. This is a very delicate and beautiful fpecies ; it grows to two inches, or more, in height, and it's head is not more than a quarter of an inch in diameter. The pedicle is as fine as a hair, white and pellucid. The head is of an obtufely conic form, and has no pores or lamell::e, but is perfeCtly fmooth in it's under furface. The pedicles are fcarce able to fupport the weight of thefe little heads, but bend and totter under them on the leafl: motion. The whole plant is of a fnow-white CQlour, and extremely tender. It is a very difficult objetl to manage for the mjcrofcope, but, if properly examined, a dufi:y matter will be found on the under fide of the head, compofed of globules of two kinds, oblong and round, which are evidently the anthera: and the feeds. This fpecies is common with us in the hollows of rotten trees, and on decayed leaves: I have often met with it on old aih-leaves on P1·imrofe-hill near Hampfiead, Ray calls it Fungus minimus candidus abfque lamellis. 2. Leotia parvula capitulo plano. The little Leotia, with a flat head. This is a very minute Fungus; it does not grow to more than a third of an inch in height, and it's head is fomewhat lefs than that in diameter: it is, however, very difbnCl: in all it's parts, and a very beautiful fpecies. It's pedicle is thin, and of a whitifh colour, and is all the way up of the fame bignefs: rhe head is perfet1ly flat, and is as fmooth on one fide as on the other; the edges of it fometimes turn up a little. The whole plant is white, and has a difagreeable fungous finell. The lower furface of the head, examined with a good microfcope, fhews a number of minute bodjes fcattered over it, part of which arc o?Io?g, part rou~di£h ; the former are evidently the anther~, the latter the feeds. Thts little Fungus IS common on rotten wood in Charlton-forefl:, and in many other places. Micheli calls it Fungoidafier m.inimus difcoides albus. 3· LeoJia gelatinofa capitulo Jubviridi. The gelatinous Leotia, with a greenifo head. This is a very fingular and beautiful Fungus: it grows to about an inch and half in height, and it's head is about an inch in diameter. It's pedicle is of the thickne(s of a fixth of an inch, hollow ridged on the furface, and of a fine gold-yellow. It is fmallefi: at the bottom, and grows larger towards the top, where it expands into a kind of head, depreifed at the center, and round at the edge; the rims turning in : this head is of a greeni£h colour, and covered with a gelatinous humour on the furface. It's under part is perfectly plain and finooth, and the antherre and feeds are found fcatte red over it in form of a fine duft. We. do not m~et with this in ~ngland, but it is very common m France and Italy. Vaillant calls Jt Fungus gelatmofus flavus, It is of a tender and fucculent fl:ruCl:ure, and of a difagreeable fmell. The |
