Plants at first globose and submerged, becoming superficial and expanded when 3-6 cm. across. Exoperidium split to the middle into 7-10 unequal acute rays, which are expanded or sometimes partially involute; fleshy layer bay brown or ferruginous, continuous or rimose, frequently farinose; exterior covered with debris held by the persistent adnate mycelial layer, in old specimens frequently partially flaking away; base concave or plane. Endoperidium pedicellate, depressed globose, obovate or subpyriform, glabrous when old, farinose when young, grey or weathered to umber, to 1.5 cm. diameter. Peristome depressed, acute, fibrillose, surrounded by a pallid or concolorous fibrillose or silky zone. Gleba chocolate coloured; pseudo-columella almost obsolete. Spores globose, 4.5-5.5um diameter, epispore fuscous, 1um thick, moderately though densely verrucose. The characters of the species are the definite fibrillose peristome, large, dark coloured, coarsely warted spores and evident pedicel. Plants may possess a flattened or conical peristome, and the latter is sometimes pleated or in extreme forms almost sulcate. Occasional specimens have the endoperidium covered with a white farinose coating. The form from this region is the same as that referred to G.limbatum by European mycologists, as I have ascertained by comparison with British and European material. Specimens sent from California, collected near Berkeley by Miss E. Morse, also agree closely. It differs from that described under this name by Coker & Couch (1928, p. 107) by the persistent mycelial layer, and larger, differently marked spores. The epigsean habit and other characters of their plant suggest the authors were dealing with a sub-pedicellate form of G.triplex. In his various papers Lloyd confused G.limbatum with G.rufescens, and held that separation was possible only by the absence of a well defined pedicel. They are quite different plants, however, for G.rufescens has a naked stoma. Lloyd's record of the presence of G.rufescens in Australia (Lyc.Aus., p. 22, 1905) was based on a plant at Kew labelled G.readeri, which is a synonym of G. fimbriatum, as I ascertained by examination of the type.

DISTRIBUTION: Britain; Europe; North America; Africa; Australia; New Zealand. New South Wales: Murwillumbah (1). Victoria: Maryborough; Carlton; Melbourne; Healesville (4). South Australia: Murray Bridge; Mt. Lofty; Glen Osmond; Adelaide; Fullarton; Beaumont; Encounter Bay; Kinchina; Hallett's Cove; Pinnaroo; Enfield (1). Central Australia: Seventy miles west of Erldunda (1). New Zealand : Wellington—Kelburn ; Wadestown ; Levin ; Palmerston North. Canterbury—Ashburton. Otago—Roslyn (2).

TYPE LOCALITY: Europe.