| OCR Text |
Show i . : I The Hijlory of P L A N T S. d. 1 2 The I1'ttle conic-headed Dictyaria with a grey fialk. Of the phallus pe Ice. · , Th r. 11 D'Cl: . kind, or thofe with volvre at the bafe of the pedi~Ie, a~e, I· e 1ma. ~r I yana, with a purple valva. 2. The little-headed DiCl:yana,. wtth a great u~bi~tcus. 3· The pale yellow DiCl:yaria, with a head fuppofed to be Wtthout a perforation m the ~~nter. 4. The fmall, oblong DiCl:yaria of Virginia. 5· The rough-headed, not umbthcated DiCl:yaria. Thefe three laft are indeed all fai~ not to be perforated at the top, but the defcriptions of them are in other refpeCl:s [o Imperfect, that we are not to pay too much credit to this particular. FUN G l Clqfs the 7bird. Such as grow ereEl, and have no heads. Gettus the Fir fl. CLE T H RIA. C L E T H RIA is a genus of Fungus's, confifiing of a reticulated fubfiance, or of ramifications frequently uniting ?ne with another, formed i~to a r~undi{h or oval body, and in fame meafure refemblmg the head of a rnore1, wHh the mner fub: fhmce cut out, and only the ridges which form the reticulation l~ft: i~ is produced from a valva in the manner of the phallus, and fo~e other of the DtCl:yame, and produces difl:inCl: and feparate male and female flowers. The male flowers are fingle Antherre without any filaments, very fmall, but of an oblong figure, and adhere to the fides of the reticulations. Of the female flowers we can diftinguifh nothing, except the feeds, which are '\'ery fmall and round, and are contained in a mafs of a [oft matter, glutinous, and of a grey colour, a v~ft lum~ of which is contai~ed with!n the ~1ol~ow of the pla~t, while in the valva, whtch, as It grows up, refolves Into a thick freud hquor, and carnes away the feeds with it. There is fo great an analogy between the Clethrire and the DiCl:yarire, that the having and not having a head feems the great difference. Micheli calls this genus Clathrus; we, from the fame Greek, x/..n-9-pov, a lattice, Clethria. · I. C/etbria ovata reticulationibus craJlis. T!Je oval C/ethria, with thick reticulations. This is one of the greateft beauties of the Fungus clafs. lt's root is oblong and flender, divided into feveral ramifications, and penetrating five or fix inches deep into the earth ; from this there arifes a little tuberous body of a du:fky purplilh colour, and of a rough furface ; this enlarges by degrees, till it become of the bignefs of a walnut, and of a roundilh figure. Soon after this, it's outer membrane divides irregularly into four or five broad fegments, . and within thefe .fl:ands a globular body hollow, and confilling of ramifications varioufly difpofed, and joining one with another, fo as to form a kind of lattice-war k. The cavity of this body is at this time filkd with a fubfian cc of a gelatinous nature, but with a mixture of a dufly matter in it. The outer membrane remains in it's fegments, and forms a kind of cup; and the globul'ar latticed body extends by degrees, carrying up a part of the mafs, which before filled it, on the inner part of it's ramifications, the reft remaining at the bafe. The body of ;.he Fungus is now no longer filled with any thrng, but is hollow, empty, and compofed only of this fl:tll of lattice-work; in this fl:ate .it acquires an oval figure inftead of its roun~ one, bemg fmalleft ~t the bafc, and growmg gradually larger to the top ; in this flate It makes. a mofi: be.auttf~l appearance, the ramificatio?s of which it is compofed are of about a thH·d of an mch m diameter, and they form Irregular holes between them, oblong, angular, often rhomboidal, and capable of admitting a man's finger. The calyx or.vo~va a~ the bafe IS of a dufk.y purp.le c~lour? all the refi of the plant of a fine red, fpotted wtthm wnh purple; as the plant nfes 111 he1ght, the ramifications are to be examined t? find the anther~, which then adhere to them in form of a fine powder. The glutmou~ 1~atter whtch once filled the hollow of the plant, and which contains the feeds at th1s t1me a~~o, melts into a thick, vifcid, and very .flinking liquor .and this runs out at the cav1t1es between the ramifications, in form of large drop . ' The befi: me-thod The Hijlory of P L A N T S. 47 thad of finding the feeds is to drop this into water, on which the liquor blending with the water the feeds fall to the bottom; they are very fmall and round. The whole plant, th~ugh of fo b~autiful. a col~ur, is of a very fretid. fmell. Moft of the botanical writers have defcnbed this fpectes~ Tournefort calls It, Boletus cancellatus purpureus. C. Bauhine, Fungus ruber cancellatus. Ca.::falpinus, Fungus quem ignem fylvefirem vacant; and Clufius, Fungus coralloides cancellatus. It is frequent in Italy, but is not found with us. 2. C/ethria rotundior tamificationibus tenuioribus. The rounder Cletbria, with fmaller reticulations. This is a very beautiful fpecies, tho' lefs fo than the former. It rifes froll? a t~in az~d membranous valva and confifl:s of ramifications of not more than a fifth of an mch m thicknefs, flatted a~d joining fo frequently, as to make very rmall re~iculations. The whole plant is white, but .fpotted o~ the out~dc with red, an~ IS round 10 figure.: the cavity of it, while young~ Is_ filled wi.th a white, fpungy, glutmous matter, whtch ~fterwards runs off in a fret1d l1q uor as m the former fpec1es, . and. the fide~ of the ramz~cations are in the fame manner furnilhed with anthera.::. Micheli calls this, Clethrus ohvaris. Ray ,Fungus pro capitulo laminam Ion gam, latam, multipliciter laciniatam, et convolutam habens, albam,·intus punCl:is rubris creberrimis piCl:am, calycefquammofo exceptam. Names of this length we hope will reconcile the reader to our new generical terms, finc.e there is no other means of iliortening them. This fpecies is common in Germany. It IS produced alfo in Italy but rarely. We have it not at all in England. 3· Clethria jlvvefcens ramijicationibus compre.J!is. 'I he yellow Clethria, with flatted ramtfications. This is another very beautiful fpecies. It rifes like the others fi·om a membranous valva or cafe, and grows to the fize of a large pear, and much refembles that fruit in {hape. It is compofed of flat ramifications, of the breadth of a quarter of an inch, and of about half that meafure in thicknefs. Thefe join frequently fo as to give the whole a reticulat~d form, and compofe a fort of open cafe. .~he w~ole ~lant is of a fine bright yellow colour, and has an.the:re on ~he edg~s of 1t s ram1~cauon:, and a glutinous matter fur:ounding the f~e?s m It's cavJ.ty '. while young, whtch as 1t grows up melts into a fcettd water, contamtng the feeds 111 1t. It is a native of Germany, France and Italy, bnt not of England. Tournefort calls it, Boletus cancellatus; and Barrelier, Fungus coralloides cancellatus flavefcens. Thefe are all the known fpecies of this fingular genus. F U ·N G 1 Clafs the Third. Genus the Second. ARC Y RIA. ARC Y RIA is a genus of fungus's, confifi:ing of a head of a reticulated firutl:ure, not hollow, arifing from a cafe or valva, and containing difl:inCl: male and female flowers: The male flowers confift only of oblong antherre, arranged by fours together, on the fummit of the fame .filament, which adheres to the ri?ges of the reticulation: The female flowers we fee no part of, except the feeds wh1ch are fmall, of an oval figure, and lie in the cavities of the reticul.ations. The fpecies of Arcyri~ hitherto difcovered are all finall ones, and they reqmre the affiftance of a good mtcrofcope to difl:inguilh thei~· fru<?i~cat.ions ~ith accuracy. Mic.heli has divided the genus into two, by ufing fpectfic dJfimCl:wns m th.e place of genencal ones. He calls the.m Clathroides and Clathroidafirum, from thetr more or lefs refemblance to the Clethna, or Clathrus before defcribed. We call them Arcyria, from the Greek, apxvoy, a net. I. Arcyria pediculo in vo/vam expanfi. The Arcyria, with it's pedicle expanded int{) a cup. This is a very elegant little plant. It's firfi appearance is in form of a little roundheaded Fungus, with a !lender pedicle, in which .fl:ate it has been defcrib~~ |
