1894. The mass was 2 in. in diameter. Separating them was taking the

host from the parasite. Cooked it is glutinous, tender—like calf’s head. Rather tasteless. =T. al´bida= Huds.—_albidus_, whitish. _Whitish_, becoming dingy-brown when dry, 1 in. broad, ascending, tough, expanded, undulated, somewhat circling in folds, _powdered_. _Stevenson._ =Spores= oblong, obtuse, curved, 2-guttate, subhyaline, 12–14×4–5µ _K._ Where birch, sugar-maple, hickory are in abundance the T. albida will be found. At Eagle’s Mere and Springton, Pa., and other wooded places, it is common during the warm months. It has slight taste, sweet, woody, but makes a pleasant dish. =T. intumes´cens= Eng. Bot.—_intumesco_, to swell up. Gelatinous; subcespitose, rounded, broken up into numerous tortuous lobes, brown, shining, obscurely dotted, becoming darker when dry. =Spores= oblong, slightly curved, 12–14×3–4µ. From 1–2 in. across. _Massee._ Entire year, but dried or frozen during winter, swelling in wet weather. North Carolina. Common. _Curtis._ West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, _McIlvaine_. T. intumescens is not rare in West Virginia, or where beech logs are in plenty, though it does not confine itself to beech. It occurs on maples and some other woods. It resembles the T. mesenterica in taste, but is sweeter. It is not as large, but is equally good. =TREMEL´LODON= Pers. _Tremo_, to tremble. Gelatinous, pileate, prickly below, spines awl-shaped, equal. _Fries._ The members of this genus resemble in form the section Mesopus of Hydnum and have the same awl-shaped spines, but differ in their gelatinous consistency and fructification. (Plate CXLV.) [Illustration: TREMELLODON GELATINOSUM.] =T. gelatino´sum= Pers.—_gelatina_, jelly. =Pileus= covered with a greenish-brown bloom, _gelatinous_, tremulous, dimidiate, somewhat stipitate, _covered with small pimples_. =Spines= soft, glaucous. On fir, trunks and sawdust. September to October. _Stevenson._ Of singular beauty, almost translucent with steel-blue tints shading into violet, while the spines are of a pure soft white. =Spores= round, somewhat irregular, white, 2µ _W.G.S._ Can not be confounded with any. The only gelatinous spiny fungus. North Carolina, _Schweinitz_, _Curtis_; Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, _Farlow_, _Frost_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 22. T. gelatinosum is well distributed over the United States but is not reported in quantity. It is an autumnal grower, lasting well into the winter. The writer found specimens near Haddonfield, N.J., in February, 1894, and sent them to Professor Peck. It is delicious when slowly stewed. SUB-CLASS ASCOMYCETES. The reproductive bodies consisting of sporidia mostly definite, contained in asci—mother cells or sacs—springing from a naked or enclosed stratum of fructifying cells and forming a hymenium or nucleus. The sporidia are often accompanied by simple or branched threads, which are abortive asci, called paraphyses. In Hymenomycetes the spores are entirely unenclosed and are borne on stalk-like processes on the gills of Agaricaceæ, in the tubes of Polyporaceæ, on the spines of Hydnaceæ, etc. In Ascomycetes they are enclosed in sacs springing from the external layer of the fruit-bearing surface, which may be on the outer surface of the plant or enclosed. COHORT _DISCOMYCETES_. _Gr_—a sac; _Gr_—a fungus. The most important distinctive feature of Discomycetes consists in the disk or hymenium being fully exposed at maturity. It includes families which contain choice edible species. FAMILY.—=HELVELLA´CEÆ.= Fleshy, waxy or gelatinous; hymenium or sac-bearing surface exposed at first, or at length more or less exposed. Where a distinct stem is present it is surmounted by a more or less definite pileus or the stem is expanded into a club-like head. In Peziza the definite stem is absent and the plant is seated on the supporting surface. Many more genera than are noted below are included in Helvellaceæ, but are not known to contain edible species. SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA. * _Margin only or whole of pileus free from sides of stem._ HELVELLA. Page 536. Pileus drooping, irregularly waved and lobed. VERPA. Page 539. Pileus drooping, regular, margin entire, thimble-shaped. LEOTIA. Page 540. Pileus fleshy, discoid. ** _Pileus adnate throughout to the stem._ MORCHELLA. Page 541. Surface of pileus furnished with stout, anastomosing ribs bounding deep irregular pits. GYROMITRA. Page 546. Surface of pileus covered with rounded, variously contorted folds. MITRULA. Page 548. Pileus subglobose or clavate, surface even. SPATHULARIA. Page 549. Pileus flattened, running down the stem for some distance on opposite sides. GEOGLOSSUM. Page 550. =HELVEL´LA= Linn. A small pot herb. =Stem= of medium thickness. =Pileus= hanging loosely over the stem, more or less folded, but not into pits. Hymenium on the upper side only. Helvella esculenta is now Gyromitra esculenta, and is in bad repute. Meanings of the unfamiliar words are too lengthy to give in the descriptions of species. They are in the Glossary. Dr. Badham says: “All Helvellæ are esculent, have an agreeable odor, and bear a general resemblance in flavor to the Morell.” (Plate CXLVI.) [Illustration: HELVELLA CRISPA. Natural size. ] =H. cri´spa= Fr.—curled. =Pileus= deflexed, lobed or variously contorted, white or whitish. =Stem= equal or slightly swollen at the base, deeply and uninterruptedly grooved, white or whitish. =Spores= elliptical, 18×22µ long. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Distinguished from all other species by the stout, costate, lacunose, hollow stem; entirely glabrous, fragile and with a semi-transparent look. Color variable, included under the following forms: Var. _al´ba_. Pileus whitish. Var. _Grevil´lei_. Under surface of the pileus reddish; stem white. Var. _incarna´ta_. Pileus and stem flesh-color. Var. _ful´va_. Pileus yellowish or tawny. _Massee._ Pileus whitish, flesh-colored or yellowish, deflexed, lobed, at length free, crisped. =Stem= hollow, ribbed outside forming deep pits, 3–5 in. high, snowy white. Edible. _Badham_, _Cordier_, _Cooke_, _Berkeley_, _Peck_. West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, _McIlvaine_. H. crispa is white and variable in shape of cap. In its color it differs from all others of its genus. It is found in the woods only, from July until frost. It is not usually abundant. It is an esculent species and good of its kind. =H. Califor`nica= Phillips. =Pileus= bell-shaped or saddle-shaped, deflexed, sublobate, free, veined beneath, purplish-brown. =Stem= longitudinally pitted between ridges, rosy-pink. =Asci= cylindrical, narrowed toward the base. =Sporidia= 8, elliptical, binucleate, 17×9µ paraphyses linear, clavate and brown at the apices. 2–6 in. in diameter. =Stem= 2–6 in. high, .75–1.5 in. in diameter. On the earth in dense forests near rocks. Sierra Nevada mountains; California, _Harkness_. Edible. _Harkness._ It presents characters essentially different from those of any species hitherto described. Its nearest ally is H. crispa, from which it differs in the color of the hymenium and stem and in being a larger species. =H. lacuno´sa= Afzel.—uneven, pitted. =Pileus= inflated, lobed, cinereous-black, lobes deflexed, adnate. =Stem= white or dusky, hollow, exterior ribbed, forming intervening cavities; asci cylindrical, stemmed; sporidia ovate, hyaline. Solitary or gregarious; very variable in size. North Carolina, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Sprague_, _Frost;_ White mountains, _Farlow_; Rhode Island, _Bennett_; California, _H. and M._ Edible. _Cordier_, _Berkeley_, _Badham_, _Cooke_, _Curtis_. =H. sulca´ta= Afzel.—furrowed. =Pileus= deflexed, equally 2–3 lobed, even, compressed, darker when dry. =Stem= 2 in. long, 4–5 lines thick, stuffed, equal, longitudinally furrowed. =Spores= very broadly elliptic, with a single large globose nucleus, 15–18µ long _B. and Br._ Solitary, rarely gregarious. Var. _mi´nor_ Clem. Bot. Surv. of Neb. Univ. of Neb. Pileus .8–1.2 in., rarely 3.2 in. wide, .8–2 in. high. Stem .8–1.2 in., rarely 4 in. high, .6–1.4 in. wide; sporidia 15×10µ. On shady ground. Otowanie woods, Lancaster county. The prominent character in this species, as indicated by the name, is the sulcate stem. The furrows are very deep, and extend, without interruption, the entire length of the stem. The whole stem, as shown by a cross-section, is made up of the costæ intervening between these furrows. I do not find the stem “stuffed,” as required by the description in Syst. Myc., Vol. II, p. 15. The pileus is generally darker than that of H. crispa. _Peck_, 31st Rep. N.Y. State Bot. On decaying wood, stumps, trunks. Spring until autumn. Known to be edible. _Peck._ =H. elas´tica= Bull.—elastic. =Pileus= free from the stem, drooping, 2–3 lobed, center depressed, even, whitish, brownish or sooty, almost smooth underneath, about 2 cm. broad. =Stem= 2–3.5 in. high, 3–5 lines thick at the inflated base; tapering upward, elastic, even or often more or less pitted, colored like the pileus, minutely velvety or furfuraceous, at first solid, then hollow. =Spores= hyaline, smooth, continuous, elliptical, ends obtuse, often 1-guttulate, 18–20×10–11µ; 1-seriate; paraphyses septate, clavate. _Massee._ It is not uncommon to find the pileus attached in one or two points to the stem. _Peck_, 32d Rep. Var. _al´ba_ (Pers.) Sacc. On decaying wood. August to frost. Massachusetts, _Frost_; Rhode Island, _Bennett_; Nebraska, _Clements_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 24, 32, 51. Edible. _Unger_, _Cordier_. Known to be edible. _Peck._ =H. in´fula= Schaeff.—a head dress. =Pileus= hooded, in 2–4 irregular, drooping lobes, at length undulate, strongly adherent to the sides of the stem, reddish-brown or cinnamon more or less deep in color, whitish and downy underneath, 1.5–3 in. broad. =Stem= 1½-2½ in. long, ½ in. and more thick, usually smooth and even, sometimes compressed and irregularly pitted, pallid or tinged with red, covered with a white meal or down, solid when young but becoming hollow with age; asci cylindrical, apex somewhat truncate, 8-spored. =Spores= hyaline, smooth, continuous, elliptical, ends obtuse, 21–23×11–12µ _Massee_. West Virginia, Pennsylvania. Decaying trunks, stumps and roots. _McIlvaine._ Edible. _Cooke_, _Curtis_, _Peck_. Equal to any Helvella. =VER´PA= Swartz. _Verpa_, a rod. =Ascophore= stipitate, campanulate, attached to the tip of the stem and hanging down like a bell, surrounding but free from the side of the stem, regular, smooth or slightly wrinkled but not ribbed, persistent, thin, excipulum formed of interwoven, septate hyphæ, hymenium entirely covering the outer surface of the ascophore; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= elliptical, continuous, hyaline or nearly so, 1-seriate; paraphyses septate. =Stem= elongated, stuffed. Very closely allied to Helvella; distinguished by the ascophore being more regular in form, and more evidently deflexed round the apex of the stem, which it surrounds like a thimble on a finger, and is quite free from the stem except at the apex. The species grow on the ground, in spring. _Massee._ =V. digitalifor´mis= Pers.—_digitus_, a finger. =Pileus= at first nearly even, olivaceous-umber, dark at the apex. =Stem= obese, furnished at the base with a few reddish radicles, white with a slight rufous tinge, marked with transverse reddish spots; smooth to the naked eye, but under a lens clothed with fine adpressed flocci, the rupture of which gives rise to the spots, which are, in fact, minute scales. In the mature plant the pileus is ¾ in. high, bell-shaped, finger-form, or subglobose, more or less closely pressed to the stem, but always free, the edge sometimes inflexed so as to form a white border, wrinkled, but not reticulated, under side slightly pubescent; sporidia yellowish, elliptic. =Stem= 3 in. high, ½ in. or more thick, slightly attenuated downward, loosely stuffed, by no means hollow. _Berkeley._ Minnesota, _Johnson_; California, _H. and M._; New York, Buffalo, _Clinton_; Oneida, _Warne_, May. _Peck_, 30th, 32d Rep. Mt. Gretna, July, 1897. Road-side bank. _McIlvaine._ Sold in Italy. Vittadini. Not to be despised when one can not get better nor to be eaten when one can. _Badham._ The substance of this fungus is the same as that of Helvella. It is pleasant but rather tasteless. =LEOTIA= Hill. Ascophore stipitate, substance fleshy, soft and somewhat gelatinous. =Pileus= orbicular, spreading; margin drooping or incurved free from the stem, glabrous, hymenium entirely covering the upper surface. =Stem= central, elongated; asci cylindric-clavate, apex narrowed, 8-spored. =Spores= hyaline, continuous or 1-septate, elongated and narrowly elliptical, obliquely 1–2 seriate; paraphyses present. Growing on the ground, or on decaying wood. _Hill._ Emended. _Massee._ =Stem= long. =Pileus= flattened, margin incurved, covered everywhere with the smooth, somewhat viscid hymenium. =L. chloroceph´ala= Schw.—_chloros_, green; _kephalos_, a head. Cespitose, stipitate. =Pileus= 4–6 lines across, depresso-globose, somewhat translucent, more or less wavy, margin incurved, dark verdigris-green to blackish-green. =Stem= 1–1½ in. long, almost equal, green but often paler than the pileus, pulverulent, often twisted; asci cylindric-clavate, apex rather narrowed, 8-spored. =Spores= smooth, hyaline, narrowly elliptical, ends acute, often slightly curved, usually 2–3-guttulate, 17–20×5µ, irregularly 2-seriate; paraphyses slender, hyaline. On the ground. Distinguished from L. lubrica by the green stem. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Cespitose. In mixed woods, moist ground. July until long after frosts. _McIlvaine._ A small clustered plant having a green gelatinous appearance. Quarts of it can frequently be gathered after rains. Both it and L. lubrica have less flavor than the larger Helvellaceæ, but they make a palatable dish. (Plate CXLVII.) [Illustration: LEOTIA LUBRICA. Natural size. ] =L. lu´brica=, Pers.—slippery. Gregarious or in small clusters, stipitate, somewhat gelatinous. =Pileus= irregularly hemispherical, inflated, wavy, margin very obtuse, yellowish olive-green, 6–8 lines across. =Stem= 1.5–2 in. high, nearly equal or more or less inflated at the base, pulpy within then hollow, externally yellowish and covered with minute white granules; asci cylindrical, apex slightly narrowed, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, hyaline, continuous, smooth, often guttulate, narrowly elliptical, straight or very slightly curved, 22–25×5–6µ; paraphyses slender, cylindrical, hyaline. On the ground in woods. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; New York, _Ellis_. New York, _Peck_, 23d Rep.; Trenton, N.J. Cespitose on damp ground in woods. Forty specimens, July, 1898. _E.B. Sterling_; New Jersey; Pennsylvania. Gregarious and cespitose in several localities. July to frost. _McIlvaine._ Irregular in appearance. Helvella-like but with a very soft gelatinous stem, yellow. The color of the stem distinguishes it from L. chlorocephala, which has a green stem. It is a small plant, but of good food value. Where it occurs there is often a goodly quantity. =MORCHEL´LA= Dill. _Gr_—a mushroom. Stipitate or subsessile. =Pileus= globose or ovate, adnate throughout its length to the sides of the stem, remaining closed at the apex, hollow and continuous with the cavity of the stem; externally furnished with stout, branched and anastomosing ribs or plates, every part bearing the hymenium. =Stem= stout, stuffed or hollow; asci cylindrical, 2–4–8-spored. =Spores= 1-seriate, continuous, hyaline, elliptical; paraphyses septate, clavate. Most nearly allied to Gyromitra; differs in the ribs of the pileus being deep and plate-like, and anastomosing to form elongated or irregularly polygonal deep pits. Growing on the ground in the spring. _Massee._ Stem stout; pileus ovoid or conical, deeply folded into pits, resembling honeycomb. Notwithstanding Dill, the author of the genus, describes the caps as adnate throughout their length to the stem, such is not the case. Professor Peck arranges the genus into two groups, “in one of which the margin of the cap is wholly attached to the stem, in the other it is free.” In the latter group are M. bispora and M. semilibera. The species are so much alike that botanical descriptions are omitted of all but M. esculenta and Professor Peck’s species. Not one of the Morells is even suspicious. They are favorites wherever found. The Morell is one of the few species known to the settler and to the farmer. It loves old apple orchards, probably because ashes have been used about the trees; ashes and cinders are its choice fertilizers. In Germany peasants formerly burned forests to insure a bountiful crop. Mr. Moore, of San Francisco, Cal., says: “We find it in profusion on burnt hillsides all along the Pacific coast.” But it does not confine its habitat to burned surfaces. It grows in thin open woods or on borders of woods. It grows under pine, ash, oaks and other trees. Strange to say it grows under the walnut tree where very few fungi of any kind grow. Especially does it love the white walnut or butternut. Morchella dry well and keep well for winter use. =M. esculen´ta= Pers.—esculent. (Plate XLVI, fig. 2, p. 214.) =Pileus= globose, ovate or oblong, adnate to the stem at the base, hollow, ribs stout, forming irregular, polygonal, deep pits, pale dingy yellow, buff or tawny, 1.25–2.5 in. high and broad. =Stem= stout, whitish, almost even, hollow or stuffed, 1.25–2.5 in. high, .8 in. and more thick; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= continuous, smooth, hyaline, elliptical, ends obtuse, 19–20×10µ, paraphyses rather slender, slightly thickened upward. On the ground. Spring and early summer. Edible. Variable in form, size and color, but distinguished by the pileus being adnate to the stem at the base, and the stout ribs anastomosing to form irregular, polygonal pits of about equal size, and not elongated. _Massee._ Common over the states, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. In orchards, on ashes and cinders, under walnut, pine and oak trees. May and June. _McIlvaine._ The common Morell varies in size, 2–4 in. high, sometimes larger. The cap, usually broader than it is long, oval, at times tapering to a rounded top. The cavities resemble those of a weather-beaten honeycomb, and are whitish, or grayish or brownish. The stem is about ½ in. in diameter. It is an easily recognized species. Edible. Choice. Total nitrogen, according to Lafayette B. Mendel, 4.66 per cent. =M. cras´sipes= Pers.—_crassus_, thick; _pes_, a foot. Agreeing with M. esculenta in having the pits of the pileus irregular in form, not much, if at all, longer than broad, and in not having a main series of more or less parallel and vertical ribs; differing in the stout stem being much longer than the pileus. _Massee._ Attains a height of 9 in. or more. Not rare in May. Kansas, _Cragin_; Minnesota, _Johnson_. Esculent. _Cooke._ =M. delicio´sa= Fr. The Delicious morell is easily known by the shape of its cap, which is cylindrical or nearly so. Sometimes it is slightly narrowed toward the top and occasionally curved, as in the preceding species, but its long narrow shape and blunt apex is quite strongly contrasted with that species. It is usually two or three times as long as it is broad, and generally it is longer than the stem. Specimens also occur in which the cap is slightly more narrow in the middle than it is above and below, and rarely it is slightly pointed at the apex. The pits on its surface are rather narrow and mostly longer than broad. The stem is often rather short. The plant varies from 1½-3 in. high. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Its name gives it esculent properties. =M. con´ica= Pers.—conical. The Conical morell has the cap conical or oblong-conical, as its name indicates. The longitudinal ridges on its surface run more regularly from top to base than in the Common morell. They are connected by short transverse ridges which are so distant from each other or so incomplete that the resulting pits or depressions are generally longer than broad, and sometimes rather irregular. The color in the young plant is a beautiful buff-yellow or very pale ochraceous, but it becomes darker with age. The plants are generally 3–5 in. high, with the cap 1½-2 in. thick in its broadest part, and distinctly broader than the stem. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Kansas; California; Rhode Island; Ohio, _Lloyd_; New York; Indiana, _H.I. Miller_, orchards, thin woods; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, _McIlvaine_. The conical form distinguishes M. conica from M. esculenta, if they are really different species, as some writers doubt. For the table there is not any difference. =M. bi´spora= Sor.—Two-spored. The Two-spored morell is very similar to the Half-free morell in external appearance. It is distinguishable by its cap, which is free from the stem almost or quite to the top. The stem of the European plant has been described as stuffed, but in our plant it is hollow, though possibly in very young plants it may be stuffed. The remarkable and very distinctive character which gives name to the species can only be seen by the aid of a microscope. In this species there are only two spores in each ascus or sack and these are much larger than the spores of the other species. They are two or three times longer and sometimes slightly curved. The spores of the other species are eight in an ascus and are very much alike in size and shape, and do not furnish decided specific characters; but in this species their importance can not be overlooked. Their length is about 60µ, while in the others it is 20–25µ. This is probably our rarest species. I am not aware that it has been found in but one locality in our state. A few years ago Mr. H.A. Warne detected it growing among fallen leaves in a ravine near Oneida. I have not tested its edible qualities, but would have no hesitation in eating it if opportunity should be afforded. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Var. _trunca´ta_. =Pileus= broadly rounded or truncate, its costæ slightly prominent, the margin often a little recurved; paraphyses numerous. =Stem= long. Michigan. May. _Hicks._ _Peck_, 46th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =M. angus´ticeps= Pk.—_angustus_, narrow; _caput_, head. =Pileus= oblong-conical and subobtuse or narrowly conical and acute, adnate to the stem, 1–2 in. high, and about half as broad at the base, ribs longitudinal, here and there anastomosing or connected by transverse veins. =Stem= subequal, hollow, whitish, furfuraceous without and within, even or rarely rough with irregular longitudinal furrows; asci cylindrical. =Spores= elliptical, whitish tinged with ocher, 20–25×12.5–18µ; paraphyses short, clavate, with one or two septa near the base. Sandy soil in the borders of woods and in open places. West Albany and Center. April and May. Two forms occur, one with the pileus oblong-conical, rather obtuse, often tipped with a slight umbo or papilla, and with a diameter a little surpassing that of the stem from which the base is separated by a slight groove; the other with the pileus narrowly conical, rather acute, scarcely exceeding the stem in diameter and without any separating groove. The stem and fruit are alike in both forms. The stem is usually about equal in length to the pileus. The species is related to M. conica and M. elata, but may be separated from both by the size of the spores and the character of the paraphyses. In our plant I have never seen these as long as the asci. Large forms appear also to approach M. rimosipes, but that species has the margin of the pileus more free, the stem proportionately longer, and the paraphyses as long as the asci, if we may rely upon the figure of it. Our plant is edible. _Peck_, 32d Rep. N.Y. State Bot. The plants are commonly 2–3 in. high, with the cap generally less than an inch broad in its widest part, but sometimes much larger specimens occur. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. (Plate CXLIX.) [Illustration: MORCHELLA SEMILIBERA.] =M. semilib´era= D.C.—half-free. The Half-free morell has a conical cap, the lower half of which is free from the stem. It rarely exceeds 1 in. or 1½ in. in length, and is usually much shorter than its stem. The pits on its surface are longer than broad. Deformed specimens occur in which the cap is hemispherical and very blunt or obtuse at the apex; in others it is abruptly narrowed above and pointed. The plants are 2–4 in. high. The species is rare with us. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. =Spores= pale-yellow. Odor feeble, becomes stronger in drying. Much less sapid than M. esculenta. Neither of these funguses should be gathered after rain, as they are then insipid and soon spoil. _Badham._ =GYROMI´TRA= Fr. _Gyro_, to turn; _mitra_, a head-covering. Ascophore stipitate; hymenophore subglobose, inflated and more or less hollow, or cavernous, variously gyrose and convolute at the surface, which is everywhere covered with the hymenium; substance fleshy; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= uniseriate, elongated, hyaline or nearly so, continuous; paraphyses present. Helvella of old authors. Distinguished from Morchella by the thick, brain-like folds of the hymenophore not anastomosing to form irregularly polygonal depressions; and from Helvella in the hymenophore not being free from the stem at the base. Growing on the ground. _Massee._ (Plate CXLVIII_a_.) [Illustration: SECTION OF GYROMITRA ESCULENTA. ] =G. esculen´ta= Fr. (Plate VI, fig. 6, p. 6.) =Pileus= rounded, lobed, irregular, gyrose-convolute, glabrous, bay-red. =Stem= stout, stuffed or hollow, whitish, often irregular. =Spores= elliptical, binucleate, yellowish, 20–22µ long. The Edible gyromitra, formerly known as Helvella esculenta, is easily recognized by its chestnut-red irregularly rounded and lobed cap with its brain-like convolutions. The margin of the cap is attached to the stem in two or three places. When cut through it is found to be hollow, whitish within and uneven, with a few prominent irregular ribs or ridges. The stem is whitish, slightly scurfy, and when mature, hollow. In large specimens it sometimes appears as if formed by the union of two or more smaller ones. The plant is 2–4 in. high and the cap commonly 2–3 in. broad. Specimens sometimes occur weighing a pound each. It is fond of sandy soil and is found in May and June. It grows chiefly in wet weather or in wet ravines or springy places in the vicinity of pine groves or pine trees. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. G. esculenta crispa n. var. Whole surface of the pileus finely reticulated with anastomosing costæ (ribs or veins). Under evergreens. North Elba. June. _Peck_, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Since 1882 myself and friends have repeatedly eaten it. In no instance was the slightest discomfort felt from it. It was always enjoyed. Mr. Charles H. Allen, San Jose, Cal., writes to me that G. esculenta grows plentifully in his region, and that it is not only edible, but he has found it one of the best. But the species, though long ago esteemed highly in Europe and by many in America, now rests under decided suspicion. It is not probable that in our great food-giving country anyone will be narrowed to G. esculenta for a meal. Until such an emergency arrives, the species would be better let alone. =G. cur´tipes= Fr.—_curtus_, short; _pes_, a foot. =Pileus= inflated, gyrosely undulated, oblong, rotund, at first pallid then brownish; margin of pileus closely adnexed to the stem. =Stem= irregular, short or almost absent. =Asci= cylindrical. =Sporidia= .30×9µ fusiform, uninucleate. Paraphyses clavate. On the ground. Spring. Readily distinguished from other species by the almost obliterated stem. Fries commends it highly as an esculent. Separated from G. esculenta by paler color, shorter stem and different spores. =G. Carolinia´na= (Bosc.) Fr. =Pileus= rotund, base free, surface woven into deep irregular undulating folds. =Stem= conical, sulcate. =Asci= cylindrical. =Sporidia= 3–3.2×1µ; somewhat fusiform; paraphyses thickened toward the top. In woods. Esculent. Massachusetts. _Sprague._ (Plate CXLVIII.) [Illustration: GYROMITRA BRUNNEA.] =G. brun´nea= Underwood—_brunneus_, brown. A stout, fleshy, stipitate plant, 3–5 in. high, bearing a broad, much contorted, brown ascoma. =Stem= ¾-1.5 in. thick, more or less enlarged and spongy, solid at the base, hollow below, rarely slightly fluted, clear white; receptacle 2–4 in. across in the widest direction, the two diameters usually considerably unequal, irregularly lobed and plicate, in places faintly marked into areas by indistinct anastomosing ridges, closely cohering with the stem in the various parts, rich chocolate-brown or somewhat lighter if much covered with the leaves among which it grows, whitish underneath; asci 8-spored. =Spores= oval, 28–30µ long, by about 14µ wide, hyaline, somewhat roughened-tuberculate, usually nucleate, the highly refractive nucleus spherical or oval, 11µ or, if oval, 14×11µ in diameter; paraphyses slender, enlarged at the apex, faintly septate. In rich woods, mostly in beech-leaf mold. Putnam county, Ind., May, 1892, 1893 and 1894. First found by Dr. W.V. Brown. The plant is esculent, tender and possesses a fine flavor. Often as many as 8 or 10 plants would be found in one small area, but the plant appears to be local and never very abundant. Some single plants would weigh nearly half a pound. =MI´TRULA= Fr. (Emended, _Massee_.) Ascophore stipitate, fleshy. =Head= subglobose, ovate, or clavate, even, glabrous, everywhere covered with the hymenium, adnate throughout to the more or less elongated stem; asci cylindric-clavate, 8-spored. =Spores= narrowly elliptic-fusiform, hyaline, continuous or septate, irregularly 1–2-seriate; paraphyses present. _Fries._ (Plate CL.) [Illustration: MITRULLA VITELLINA.] =M. vitelli´na= Sacc., var. _irregularis_ Pk.—_vitellus_, egg-yolk. =Pileus= clavate, often irregular or compressed and somewhat lobed, obtuse, glabrous, yellow, tapering below into the short, rather distinct, yellowish or whitish stem. =Spores= narrowly elliptical, 8–10µ long. When the Irregular mitrula is well grown and symmetrical it closely resembles the typical European plant, but usually the clubs or caps are curved, twisted, compressed or lobed in such a way that it is difficult to find two plants just alike. The plants are usually only one or two inches high, so that they would scarcely be thought of any importance as an edible species. But sometimes it grows in considerable profusion in wet mossy places in woods, so that it would not be difficult to gather a pint of them in a short time. Its beautiful bright yellow color makes it a very attractive object. It is our largest species of Mitrula and occurs in autumn. It was first reported as an edible species in the forty-second report. Its flesh is tender and its flavor delicate and agreeable. _Peck_, 48th Rep. Ontario, _Dearness_ (LI. R. 4). West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Common, gregarious in moist woods. September to November. _McIlvaine._ Those fortunate enough to find this species will hunt for it again assiduously. Even raw, when cut in strips, it makes a picturesque and delicious salad. =SPATHULA´RIA= Pers. A spatula. Receptacle erect, spathulate, compressed, hollow, adnate to the stem, down which it runs for some distance on opposite sides, everywhere covered with the hymenium. =Stem= subcylindrical, hollow; asci clavate, apex narrowed, 8-spored. =Spores= elongated, cylindric-clavate, multi-septate at maturity, arranged in a parallel fascicle in the ascus; paraphyses filiform, septate. Distinguished by the broad, flattened ascophore running down opposite sides of the stem. Growing on pine leaves or on the ground among moss. _Massee._ Resembling a spatha, an instrument for stirring a liquid, shaped like an apothecary’s spatula. =Pileus= irregular, compressed, folded, running down into the stem on either side. =S. clava´ta= (Schaeff.) Sacc.—club-shaped. S. flavida Pers. Elvela clavata Schaeff. (Plate CXXXVI, p. 508.) =Head= spathulate or broadly clavate, obtuse or sometimes more or less divided at the apex, hollow, much compressed, running down the stem for some distance on opposite sides, glabrous, margin crisped or undulated, surface wavy or slightly lacunose, yellow, rarely tinged red, .8–1.2 in. high, .6–1 in. broad. =Stem= white then tinged yellow, 1.2–2.4 in. long, .2–3 lines thick, hollow, cylindrical or slightly compressed; asci clavate, apex narrowed, 8-spored. =Spores= arranged in a parallel fascicle, hyaline, linear-clavate, usually very slightly bent, multiguttulate then multiseptate, 50–60×3.5–4µ; paraphyses filiform, septate, often branched, tips not thickened, wavy. _Massee._ New York. Woods in hilly and mountainous districts. Common. _Peck_, 22d Rep. Professor Peck gives S. rugosa, which has the club wrinkled. This odd, pretty little plant was found by me in great numbers at Eagle’s Mere, Pa., August, 1897, growing among mosses. The contrast of its bright yellow paddle-shapes against the moss-green is very pleasing to one who loves choice bits of color. Its consistency when stewed is tenacious but tender, and its flavor is delicate. =GEOGLOS´SUM= Pers. (Emended.) (Plate CLI.) [Illustration: GEOGLOSSUM GLUTINOSUM. About nat. size. ] Entire fungus more or less clavate, erect, the apical, thickened portion everywhere covered with the hymenium; glabrous or hairy, often viscid; asci clavate, apex narrowed, 8-spored. =Spores= elongated, arranged in a parallel fascicle, cylindrical or very slightly thickened above the middle, and inclined to become cylindric-clavate, brown, septate, usually slightly curved; paraphyses septate, brown at the tips, often longer than the asci. Distinguished among the clavate species by the long, narrow, brown, septate spores. The entire plant is black in all British species. Growing on the ground, among grass, etc. _Massee._ =G. glutino´sum= Pers. Ascophore 1.5–2 in. high, black, glabrous; ascigerous portion about ⅓ of the entire length, oblong, lanceolate, up to .4 in. broad, obtuse, slightly viscid, more or less compressed, passing imperceptibly into the somewhat slender, cylindrical, viscid, brownish-black stem; asci clavate, tapering downward into a long, slender pedicel. =Spores= 8, arranged more or less parallel near the apex of the ascus, cylindrical, ends obtuse, 3-septate and clear-brown at maturity, straight or very slightly curved, 65–75×5–6µ; paraphyses numerous, distinctly septate, about 2µ thick, pale-brown, apex broadly pyriform and filled with dark-brown coloring matter. On the ground among grass, etc. The most important features of the present species are 3-septate brown spores and compressed ascophore. _Massee._ New Jersey, _E.B. Sterling_. Mt. Gretna, Pa., August, 1899, gregarious in wet ground. Over a quart found in one patch. _McIlvaine._ Stewed it is delicious. [Illustration] FAMILY.—=PEZIZÆ.= =PEZI´ZA= Linn. _Pezizæ_, a sort of mushroom without root or stalk, mentioned by Pliny. Ascophore sessile, but sometimes narrowed to a short, stem-like base, fleshy and brittle, closed at first, then expanding until cup-shaped, saucer-shaped, or in some species quite plane or even convex; disk even, nodulose or veined; externally warted, scurfy, or rarely almost glabrous; cortical cells irregularly polygonal; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, continuous, hyaline (rarely tinged brown), elliptical, epispore smooth or rough; paraphyses present. _Dill._ Emended. _Massee._ The genus is large. Professor Peck reports 150 American species. Some are large, others require the microscope to find them. They are rather indiscriminate in their habitats; some are eccentric; these grow on damp walls, on dung, in cellars and cisterns, on spent hops and on old fungi. One or two species grow on sticks under water, an unusual place for fungi of any kind. Minute species grow upon stems of herbaceous plants; nine or ten upon the nettle. Two species contain a milky fluid, P. succosa and P. saniosa. Many are known in Europe which have not been found in America. European authors differ as to their qualities; some call them insipid, some speak of them with kindly respect. Much depends upon their cooking. They are, as a rule, tenacious in texture. To cook them properly requires time and slow stewing. They then become soft and rather glutinous. Their flavor is slight but pleasant, and their consistency agreeable. ANALYSIS OF TRIBES. I.—ALEURIA. Page 553 Externally powdered or with a woolly scurf. II.—LACHNEA. Page 558. Externally hairy or downy. III.—PHIALEA. Externally almost naked, smooth. No edible species reported. I.—ALEURIA Fr. Fleshy or fleshy-membranaceous, externally powdered or with a woolly scurf. * Macropodes—_macros_, long; _podes_, feet. Stem firm, elongated, furrowed. ** Cochleata—_cochleatus_, spiral. Subsessile, oblique or twisted. *** Cupulares. Subsessile, regular. **** Humaria. Small, somewhat fleshy, margin downy. (None known to be edible.) ***** Enc[oe]lia. More or less coriaceous. (None known to be edible.) * Macropodes. _Stem firm, elongated, etc._ =P. aceta´bulum= Linn.—a cup. =Ascophore= stipitate, cup-shaped, fleshy, rather tough, disk dark umber-brown, externally paler and minutely scurfy or flocculose; mouth somewhat contracted; 1.2–2 in. broad, 1.2–1.4 in. high. =Stem= .4-.6 in. high, often .4 in. thick, imperfectly hollow, with parallel or anastomosing ribs, which continue for some distance up the ascophore as branching veins, pale umber; cells of the cortex give off short, rather closely septate hyphæ in groups; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, hyaline, smooth, broadly elliptical, ends obtuse, with a very large oil-globule, 18–22×12–14µ; paraphyses straight, septate, the brownish, clavate tip 5–6µ thick. The fluted stem and veined outside of the excipulum mark the present species. The colorless hypothecium is composed of very densely and compactly interwoven hyphæ. _Massee._ Season spring. North Carolina, _Curtis_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; Rhode Island, _Bennett_; Ohio, _Lloyd_, R. 4. Esculent. _Cordier_, _Cooke_. =P. ma´cropus= Pers.—_macros_, long; _pous_, a foot. Solitary, 1–3 in. high, cups 1–2 in. broad. The cups become expanded, and sometimes reflexed; the exterior is ash-colored and clothed with little hairy or villous warts, the hairs consisting of concatenate cells, their extremities free. The stem is enlarged downward, often pitted, occasionally becoming hollow with age. _Phillips._ Asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= 1-seriate, smooth, hyaline, elliptical, 28–33×11–13µ; paraphyses straight, tips brownish and thickened in a clavate manner up to 8–10µ _Massee_. On the ground in shady places. Summer and autumn. North Carolina, _Curtis_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 22. Esculent. _Cordier._ ** Cochlea´ta. _Subsessile, oblique, etc._ =P. veno´sa= Pers.—_venosus_, full of veins. Smell strong, nitrous; sessile or contracted into a short, stout, stem-like base; cup-shaped and with the margin incurved when young, then expanding and the margin becoming more or less split or lobed and wavy, 1.2–2 in. across; disk umber-brown, externally whitish, minutely granular, and furnished with rather stout, anastomosing ribs which radiate from the base; excipulum pseudoparenchymatous, cells largest at the periphery, where some run out as clavate, free tips; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, smooth, hyaline, often with 1 large oil-globule, elliptical, ends obtuse, wall rather thick, 18–24×11–13µ; paraphyses septate, tips clavate, brownish. On the ground. Spring. _Massee._ Massachusetts, _Frost_; California, _H. and M._; Rhode Island, _Bennett_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 24. Edible. Has a most decided nitrous odor and also fungoid flavor. _Cooke._ [Illustration: Photographed by C.G. Lloyd, Cincinnati, O. PLATE CLII. PEZIZA BADIA. ] =P. ba´dia= Pers.—of a brown or bay color. (Plate CLII, p. 554.) Gregarious or cespitose, sessile or narrowed into a very short, stout, stem-like base and often more or less lacunose; subglobose and closed at first, then cup-shaped or more expanded, margin entire or nearly so, the entire cup often wavy, rather thick, 1.2–2 in. across; disk dark-brown, externally paler-brown and minutely granular, often with a purple tinge; hypothecium and excipulum formed of stout, septate, irregularly inflated hyphæ, hypothecium compact, excipulum spongy and cavernous; cortex compact, the hyphæ running out in irregular lumps to form the external granulations; asci cylindrical, apex truncate, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, hyaline, continuous, elliptical, with one large oil-globule, minutely warted at maturity, 15–19×9–10µ; paraphyses septate, tips slightly clavate. On the ground among grass, etc., also on scorched places. Readily distinguished by the bay or umber-brown disk, and the minutely-warted spores. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; California, _H. and M._; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Nebraska, _Clements_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 25. Alabama. On ground, Alabama Bull. No. 80, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On ground. Frequent. July to October. _McIlvaine._ Esculent. _Cordier._ P. badia is frequent on bare ground, along wood roads, etc. In the West Virginia mountains it occurs where there have been brush fires. It is a meaty plant, without much flavor. It must be cut fine and slowly cooked if stewed, or can be quickly fried in a hot buttered pan. It has more flavor fried crisp than stewed. =P. cochlea´ta=—spiral. Sessile, cespitose, variously contorted and plicate, fleshy, brittle, disk umber-brown, externally paler and pruinose, sometimes altogether paler and leather-color or pale dingy-ochraceous, 2–3.2 in. diameter; when solitary or almost so, at first globose, then expanding with the margin involute, finally spreading and irregularly plicate; excipulum spongy and cavernous, due to the loose weft formed by interlacing, hyaline, thin-walled, flaccid, septate hyphæ, cortex compact, running out into irregular groups of cells that form the scurfy exterior; asci cylindrical, apex slightly truncate, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, hyaline, continuous, smooth, usually 2-guttulate, 16–18×7–8µ; paraphyses slender, septate; tip slightly clavate, often curved and sometimes branched. The entire substance is brittle and rather watery, and usually assumes a yellowish tint when bruised. Smell and taste almost none. Sometimes the ascophores are closely crowded, hence irregular and much contorted, and resembling a foliaceous Tremella or a small specimen of Sparassis crispa. _Massee._ New York. Ground in woods. Helderberg mountains and Greenbush. June. _Peck_, Rep. 23; Alabama, _Peters_, Ala. Bull. No. 80; North Carolina, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; Ohio, _Lloyd_, Rep. 4. This species is quite insipid and somewhat leathery, but Mr. Berkeley has seen it offered for sale under the name of Morell. _Badham._ Esculent. _Cordier_, _Cooke_. =P. lepori´na= Batsch.—_lepus_, a hare. =Cup= 1–3 in. high, 1–3 in. broad, gregarious, often cespitose; margin involute, divided to the base on one side; disk even or rarely wrinkled, a shade darker than the exterior; paraphyses slender, hardly thickened at the summits, but almost invariably crooked. This fine species grows as large as O. onotica at times, but is not so brightly colored, being throughout of a sober tan-color, resembling common wash leather used for cleaning plate. _Phillips._ Asci cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely uniseriate, hyaline, smooth, continuous, 1–2 guttulate, elliptical, 12–15×7–8µ; paraphyses filiform, septate, apex slightly swollen, and usually strongly curved. On the ground in woods, among leaves, etc. _Massee._ California, edible, _H. and M._ Esculent. _Cordier._ =P. onotica= Pers. Very variable in form, usually elongated on one side and ear-shaped, but sometimes almost equal-sided and entire, 1–3 in. high, up to 2 in. wide, becoming narrowed to a more or less wrinkled, short stem-like base; disk pale orange, usually with a rosy tinge, externally pale tawny-orange. Asci elongated, narrowly cylindrical, 8-spored. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, hyaline, smooth, colorless, ends obtuse, 1–2-guttulate, 14–15×8–9µ; paraphyses straight, septate, apex clavate. On the ground in woods, among leaves, etc. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; Iowa, _Fitzpatrick_ (Ll. R. 4); New York, _Peck_, Rep. 28. Esculent. _Cordier._ =P. unici´sa= Pk.—implying one incision. =Cup= large, thin, split on one side to the base, sessile or with a short stem, externally wrinkled, minutely pulverulent under a lens, yellow, within pale-yellow slightly tinged with pink. =Spores= elliptical, usually containing two nuclei, 12–15µ. Ground in woods. Croghan. September. The cups are about two inches broad. The species is related to P. onotica. _Peck_, 26th Rep. N.Y. State Bot. Minnesota, _Johnson_; Mt. Gretna, Pa. On ground in mixed woods, gravelly ground. September to October. _McIlvaine._ Many specimens were found scattered and in patches, and were eaten. They were of slight flavor but good. =P. auran´tia= Pers. (Plate CXXXVI, fig. 3, p. 508.) Sessile or protracted into a very short stem-like base, cespitose and irregular, or growing singly and then circular in outline and regular, becoming almost plane; thin, brittle, disk clear, deep orange or sometimes orange-red, externally much paler, or sometimes almost white, with a pink tinge, delicately tomentose, due to the presence of short, stout, blunt, 1–2-septate hyaline hairs; varying from ½-3.2 in. broad. =Spores= 15–16×7–8µ. On the ground, often near stumps or among chips. Sometimes crowded, large, with the margin raised and very much waved and more or less incised, at others scattered, smaller, almost or quite even and finally spread flat on the ground. Easily recognized by the large size, bright orange disk, pale, downy exterior, and the broadly elliptical spores covered with a delicate net-work of raised lines at maturity. _Massee._ Massachusetts, _Frost_; Rhode Island, _Bennett_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; California, _H. and M._; Alabama, _Peters_; New York, October, _Peck_, 23, 24 Rep.; Indiana, Richmond, November, _Dr. J.R. Weist_; West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. On ground. September to October. _McIlvaine._ Esculent. _Cordier._ At Mt. Gretna, Pa., patches of it twenty feet long, made the ground along a road on the margin of a woods golden with its clusters. The plants grew from sand mixed with leaf-mold. I have eaten it for fifteen years. Fair flavor. *** Cupulares. _Subsessile, etc._ =P. repan´da= Wahlenb.—bent backward. Clustered or scattered, subsessile, contracted into a short, stout, stem-like base, which is often rooting; saucer-shaped, then quite expanded and the margin more or less split and wavy, sometimes drooping and revolute, extreme edge often crenate; 1.6–4 in. across; disk pale or dark brown or umber, more or less wrinkled toward the center, externally whitish, minutely granular. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, hyaline, smooth, continuous, elliptical, ends obtuse, 18–22×11–12µ; paraphyses septate, clavate and brownish at the tips. _Massee._ On the ground, often in beech-woods; also on decayed trunks. New York, _Ellis_; Minnesota, _Johnson_; Ohio, _Lloyd_, R. 4. New York. Ground and decaying wood. Croghan. September. _Peck_, 28th Rep. Specimens sent to the writer by Dr. W.B. Miller, Altoona, Pa., were 3½ in. across, and a beautiful velvety brown. Cooked they had a mushroom flavor. =P. vesiculo´sa= Bull.—full of bladders. Clustered, often distorted from mutual pressure, sessile but more or less narrowed at the base, globose and closed at first, then expanding, but the margin usually remaining more or less incurved and somewhat notched; disk pale brown, externally brownish and coarsely granular from the presence of minute, irregular warts, 1.2–3 in. across. =Spores= obliquely 1-seriate, smooth, hyaline, continuous, elliptical, ends obtuse, 21–24×11–12µ; paraphyses slender, septate, clavate. Var. _ce´rea_ Rehm. Similar in size, habit and general structure to the typical form; differing in the wax-yellow color, the more distinct stem-like base, and the slightly smaller spores, 18–19×10µ; very brittle. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; California, _H. and M._; Massachusetts, _Frost_; New Jersey, _Ellis_; Ohio, _Lloyd_, Rep. 4; var. minor, _Sacc._; Nebraska, _Clements_; New York, _Peck_, Rep. 25. Esculent. _Cordier._ II.—LACHNEA. =P. odora´ta= Pk. =Cups= .5–3 in. broad, gregarious or scattered, thin, sessile, rather brittle when fresh, shallow, expanded or even convex from the decurving of the margin, at first brownish, then white or whitish, the hymenium ochraceous-brown; asci cylindrical, opening by a lid, .01-.012 in. long, .0006-.0008 in. broad, paraphyses filiform, obscurely septate, slightly thickened at the tips. =Spores= elliptical, even, 20–22.2×10–12.5µ. Ground in cellar. Maine. June. _F.L. Harvey._ The plant when fresh has the peculiar fungoid flavor suggestive of that of chestnut blossoms. The species is apparently allied to P. Petersii, from which it may be distinguished by its larger spores and distinct but peculiar odor. The spores also are not binucleate, as in that species. In drying, the hymenium is apt to become blackish. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 23, No. 10. A cluster 4 inches across, in general appearance resembling P. repanda, was found by the writer at Mt. Gretna, Pa., June, 1898, growing from between the staves of an empty flour barrel which was exposed to the weather. The margin, instead of being revolute, turned inward (involute) until it touched the short stem. The cluster was eaten and had the flavor of P. repanda. In June, 1899, several pounds grew on and around the same barrel. Professor Peck recognized it as P. odorata. =P. cocci´nea= Jacq.—scarlet or crimson. Geopyxis coccinea Mass. (Plate CXXXVI, fig. 2, p. 508.) Scattered or in groups of 2–3 specimens, stipitate; at first closed, then expanding and becoming shallowly cup-shaped, margin entire, .8–1.6 in. across; disk clear and deep carmine, externally whitish or pinkish, delicately tomentose, due to the presence of wavy, usually aseptate, hyaline, cylindrical hyphæ, 5–6µ thick. =Stem= .4-.8 in. long, 1.2–2 in. thick, whitish and tomentose. =Spores= 1-seriate, elliptic-oblong, ends obtuse, hyaline, wall rather thick and forming a hyaline border, straight, 25–30×8–9µ; paraphyses very slender, hardly thickened at the tips. On rotten branches lying on the ground. Spring. Readily distinguished among the large, stipitate Pezizæ by the deep rose-red or carmine disk and the whitish, tomentose exterior. The stem varies considerably in length; when the fungus springs from the underside of a branch the stem is often elongated and curved. The base of the stem is attached to the branch by a mass of whitish, tomentose mycelium. _Massee._ New York. Half-buried sticks. April and May. _Peck_, 23d Rep.; New Jersey, _E.B. Sterling_; Mt. Gretna, Pa., New Jersey. On sticks on ground. Spring. _McIlvaine._ This brilliant fungus is one of the beauties of the woods. Though small it attracts the eye by its deep carmine in striking contrast with the somber carpeting. It is frequent when in season. A half pint of it may be gathered from a few acres. Its substance is tenacious, taste pleasant. Mr. Massee mentions that it is abundant in some of the woods near Scarboro, England, and is regularly collected and sold along with moss for decorative purposes. Exquisite effects may be produced by arranging the brightly colored fungi among moss and leaves. “Fairy Cups,” they are called. Rosy must be the lips that do not pale beside them. =P. calyci´na= Schum.—resembling a bud. Ascophores cespitose, gregarious or scattered, narrowed into a short, stout, stem-like base, rather fleshy, 1–3 mm. broad; disk orange-yellow, externally white and villose, hairs rather wavy, cylindrical, obtuse, colorless, minutely rough, 100–150×4–5µ; asci subcylindrical, apex obtuse, 8-spored. =Spores= 1-seriate or inclined to be 2-seriate above, hyaline, elliptic-fusiform, continuous, 18–25×6–8µ; paraphyses slender, hyaline, cylindrical. On bark of larch and Scotch fir. _Massee._ North Carolina, _Curtis_; Massachusetts, _Frost_; New York. Gum spots on spruce, bark of pines, _Peck_, 22d Rep. Esculent. _Cooke._ [Illustration] Cohort _PYRENOMYCETES_. FAMILY.—=HYPOCREACEÆ.= =HYPO´MYCES= Fr. _Gr_—under; _Gr_—fungus. Perithecia (the hollow narrow-mouthed cases which contain the spores) gregarious, with a cottony stroma in which they are more or less immersed. Mostly parasitic on various Hymenomycetes or Discomycetes; bright colored, with papilliform (nipple-shaped) or slightly elongated ostiola (apertures). Asci mostly cylindrical, 8-spored, without paraphyses. Sporidia oblong or fusoid, uniseptate, hyaline. Conidial stage represented by Asterophora, etc. This parasite attacks several species of fungi, and so alters their structure and appearance that it is difficult to distinguish the host-plant. The attack is made in the extreme youth of the plant. The writer is fully satisfied from his own observation that H. lactifluorum and H. purpurea infest Lactarius piperatus. The milk cells are so changed by H. lactifluorum that they yield no milk. When attacked by H. purpurea the milk is a beautiful purple. In both cases the pepperiness of the host-plant is destroyed. I have seen the same host plant attacked by both forms of the Hypomyces. After the host-plant of Hypomyces lactifluorum is fully grown, and infested, it is frequently attacked by Hypomyces purpureus. Purple spots appear, which gradually spread until the entire plant is covered. This Hypomyces seems to affect the milk cells. A beautiful, profuse, purple fluid results. The parasite is proving itself an enemy to fungi, but a friend to man. Upon L. piperatus and upon Amanita rubescens it very much adds to the weight of the plants, and improves the texture and edible qualities. The same may be said of L. volemus, but not to such a degree. Prof. M.W. Easton in August, 1899, found this species at Mt. Gretna, Pa., attacked by a parasitic fungus in such a manner as to destroy its milk-giving quality and completely transform its gills into a corrugated, granular surface. Professor Peck, to whom I submitted the parasite, thinks it a new species and calls it H. volemi. Further study of Hypomyces and its effect upon fungi, and of the particular host-plants is desirable. =H. lac´tifluorum= (Schw.) Tulasne—_lac_, milk; _fluorum_, flowing. (Plate CXXXVI, fig. 5, p. 508.) Asci long and slender, sporidia in one row, spindle-shaped, straight or slightly curved, rough, hyaline, uniseptate, cuspidate-pointed at the ends, 30–38×6–8µ. The general appearance is much the same as that of H. aurantius (Pers.) Tul., but the sporidia are larger, rough and warted, and the felt-like mycelium is wanting. In the affected species of Lactarius the gills are entirely obliterated, so that the hymenium of the agaric presents an even, orange-colored surface on which the subglobose perithecia are thickly bedded, with only their slightly prominent reddish ostiola visible. In decay the color changes to a purplish-red. On Lactarius, especially L. piperatus. New Jersey, _Ellis_; Alabama, _U. and E._; Minnesota, _Arthur_; Nova Scotia, _Dr. Somers_; on various species of Lactarius, 1895, Ala. Bull.; South Carolina, _Ravenel_; Pennsylvania, _Everhart_. West Virginia, 1881–1882; Haddonfield, N.J., Mt. Gretna, Pa., August to October. _McIlvaine._ This fungus puzzled me for many years. August, 1896, I sent several specimens to Professor Peck of different colors—orange, red, whitish and purple. Professor Peck kindly identified the specimens and wrote: “In one the matrix of the host-plant has not been so completely changed or transformed as in the other. It would be interesting to know what species of Lactarius it is that Hypomyces attacks. I have never been able to ascertain, and have sometimes thought it might be Cantharellus cibarius, but this specimen of yours indicates, rather, a Lactarius.” Of the purple specimen he wrote: “This is a beautiful thing, and as I find nothing like it described I have given it a name—Hypomyces purpureus Peck.” Well cooked, in small pieces, it is one of the very best. =H. purpu´reus= Pk.—_purpureus_, purple. Subiculum effused, purple, permeating, transforming and discoloring the matrix; perithecia minute, sunk in the subiculum, the ostiola emergent, black; asci cylindrical; spores fusiform, uniseptate, purple, with a cusp-like point at each end, 35–40µ long, 7.5µ broad, oozing out and forming beautiful purple masses or patches on the surface of the matrix. Pennsylvania. August. _Charles McIlvaine._ The species is similar in all respects to H. lactifluorum, except in color. It is apparently parasitic on some species of Lactarius, but the host plant is so transformed and discolored that the species is not recognizable. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, Vol. 25, No. 6. H. purpureus Pk. was sent by the writer to Professor Peck in August, 1897, who wrote: “This is a beautiful thing and as I find nothing like it described, I have given it a name.” Of itself H. purpureus is a minute parasitic fungus as above described. But it possesses the power of so altering the structure—changing form, shape and appearance—of the fungus upon which it has taken its abode that the host-plant, be it Cantharellus cibarius, Craterellus cantharellus or one of the Lactari, or whatever the species, becomes difficult to recognize, so that it is not yet certain upon which species it is parasitic. It may be upon many. The present plant seems to be parasitic upon one of the Lactarii. It therefore becomes necessary to describe the host as it appears when possessed by the parasite. The plant is variable in shape from an irregular nodule to a distorted-capped, short-stemmed mass, 2–4 in. across, 1–3 in. high, hard, brittle, coarse in appearance and rough to the touch; deep orange, wholly or in part stained with a beautiful purple. The purple juice exudes and dyes everything with which it comes in contact. The growth is very heavy for its size. To all appearances it is the same host as is attacked by Hypomyces lactifluorum, resembling it in every particular excepting in the purple stain and juice. It is frequent in open oak and chestnut woods, but prefers oak. It grows from among leaves or from grassy spots. August to October. While it is beautiful in its coloring it is not inviting in appearance as an edible. Yet sliced, cut small and stewed for twenty minutes it is one of the very best fungi I have eaten. =H. vole´mi= Pk. Subiculum very thin, whitish or isabelline; perithecia minute, brown, nestling in the subiculum; asci very slender, 100–125µ long, sporiferous part 4µ broad. =Spores= oblong-fusiform, 12–15µ long, 4µ broad, commonly binucleate. Parasitic on the hymenium of Lactarius volemus. Pennsylvania. _Charles McIlvaine._ The hymenium of the host plant is changed in appearance by the parasite, but the stem and upper surface of the pileus remain unchanged. _Peck_, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, 27, January, 1900. The edible qualities are in nowise affected by the parasite. FAMILY.—=TUBERA´CEÆ.= (Plate CLIII.) [Illustration: TUBER NIVEUM or TERFEZIA LEONIS. By courtesy Rev. A.B. Langlois. A. Plant. B. Interior (section). C. Asci. D. Spore. ] Subterranean; ascophore irregularly globose, usually large, not rupturing. To this family belongs the Truffle of commerce renowned for its flavoring qualities. It has not yet been found in America, though several fungi are ignorantly bought in our markets under that name; notably Coprinus comatus or maned mushroom. The writer has frequently been informed with all the logical force of genuine market-women that this was the real Truffle, because they raised it themselves. Until quite recently but one species of Truffle has been reported as growing in America. This, Tuber niveum Desf. or Terfezia leonis Tul. was found by Rev. A.B. Langlois, St. Martinville, La. He reported it as growing plentifully, buried or nearly so in the red sand land along the Red river near Natchitoches. He writes me: “The people where it is found are looking for it with great care and are eating it with great relish. I had occasion to eat it once and I found it delicious.” He kindly sent the original illustration from which the accompanying drawing was made. It was taken from Jour. Myc., January, 1887, J. B. Ellis, who first published a description of the American representative of the species. He describes it as “subglobose, up to full two inches in diameter, strongly plicate or furrowed below, nearly smooth and pale reddish-brown outside, marbled-white within and of compact texture much like a potato, but softer. When first dug from the ground the color is pure white, the reddish tint being due to exposure to the air. The asci obovate or subglobose, 75–80×60–70µ. Each contains eight globose spores, thickly clothed with obtuse, elongated, wart-like tubercles and about 20µ in diameter. The home of the white Truffle is said to be in Northern Africa, though it is not uncommon in Southern Europe, where its growth is favored by mild winters.” It is probable that the Truffle will be found in other southern states. Perhaps in the north, as Fries reports that two specimens were found near Linkoping, Sweden, and Mr. H.W. Harkness reports Tubers in the Sierras at the height of 7,000 feet. It is worth hunting for. It is possible that the common Truffle—Tuber æstivum—will be found in America. Fame awaits the finder. A description of it with illustration is therefore given. (Plate CLIV.) [Illustration: TUBER ÆSTIVUM. (Common Truffle. A. Plant. B. Section showing interior. ] =Tuber æsti´vum= Vitt. Peridium warty, of a blackish-brown color, the warts polygonal and striate; flesh transversed by numerous veins; asci 4–6-spored; spores elliptical, reticulated. This plant, the common Truffle of our markets, is abundant in Wiltshire and some other parts of England, and probably occurs in many places where it escapes observation from its subterranean habit. _Badham._ It is cultivated largely in France. “Perigord Truffles” are a costly delicacy. The Truffle is of subterranean habit, growing under various kinds of trees and from 12–48 in. under ground. As it does not manifest its presence above ground, dogs and pigs are trained to find it by scent. An interesting chapter on Truffles will be found in British Edible Fungi, M.C. Cooke, 1891. Any plant of similar habit, when found, should be immediately sent by the finder to a known expert for identification. Thirteen species of Tuber and several Terfeziæ are reported in California, and are described and beautifully illustrated in “California Hypogæous Fungi” by H.W. Harkness, “Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences,” 1899. Terfezia spinosa Harkness closely resembles T. leonis Tul., and T. (sphærotuber) Californicum n. sp., found under oaks beneath vegetable humus in Alameda county, Cal., Professor Harkness remarks, is nearly identical with an edible species found in Italy. All species found in California are said to be edible, but to be too rare to be of food value. (Plate CLV.) [Illustration: PACHYMA COCOS—“TUCKAHOE.” After Century Dictionary. A. Mass of Tuckahoe. B. Showing method of growing around a root. ] There is a well known growth, found from New Jersey south to the Gulf and west to Kansas, called Tuckahoe (Pachyma cocos), (Plate CLV), an Indian name meaning a round loaf or cake, and famed for its edible qualities. Its exact place in plant growth has been variously determined. It is now conceded that it is the sclerotium or cellular reservoir of reserve material of some fungus. It is usually found attached to the roots of trees, in low marshy places. It grows several feet below the surface, and to the size of a man’s head. It varies in shape, being oblong or round, having a coarse brown covering, looking like a cocoanut. Its interior is white, compact, without cellular structure; it has no mycelium or trace of fructification. It contains as high as 77 per cent. of pectose and is therefore highly nutritious. For full accounts see Torrey Bulletin, October, 1882; Smithsonian Inst. Rep., 1881, p. 693; article by Professor J. Howard Gore; also Garden and Forest, IX, p. 302. The illustration is after that in the Century Dictionary, “Tuckahoe.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SUB-CLASS BASIDIOMYCETES. COHORT _GASTROMYCETES_. _Gr_—_gasteron_, a sac, etc. (Plate CLVI.) [Illustration] 1. A. Exterior skin, bark, rind, cortex, scurf, warts, spines, bristles—peridium. Plants with long spines—echinate. B. Inner rind or true peridium. [A.B.—peridia (plural of peridium).] C. Columella—those filaments springing from the base and rising, which do not unite freely with those issuing from the inner peridium. This mass of threads is usually conical, but sometimes globose. D. Capillitium—a soft mass of cottony threads interspersed with minute dust-like spores; the space occupied is called the gleba. E. Coarse empty, sterile cells. The space they occupy is called the subgleba. F. Echinate spores magnified. G. Spines (magnified) which fall off and leave the inner peridium exposed. 2. A. Lycoperdon echinatum. B. Spines (magnified) which fall off and leave tesselated inner peridium exposed. (After Morgan.) As has been stated, the two Cohorts in which a hymenium or spore-bearing surface is present are called Hymenomycetes and Gastromycetes. In the first the hymenium is exposed, as in the common mushroom. In the second—Gastromycetes—the hymenium is at first enclosed in a sac or peridium, as in the common puff-ball. The botanical description of Gastromycetes, given by M.C. Cooke, is: “Hymenium more or less permanently concealed, consisting in most cases of closely-packed cells, of which the fertile ones bear naked spores on distinct spicules, exposed only by the rupture or decay of the insisting coat or peridium.’ The Gastromycetes are usually large, ground-growing fungi. A few grow upon wood. The peridium is of dense structure, usually globose and of considerable thickness. It commonly consists of two layers. These form the sac holding the spore-bearing structure, which is called the gleba. The gleba consists of innumerable chambers or cells, curved and branched, and only to be distinguished by magnifying. The primary structure is retained in some species throughout the life of the plants, excepting changes due to growth and maturing, or in others these cells or chambers are large and few, and form distinct peridiola, which contain the spores. The maturing of the plant and the consequent changes in the gleba is accompanied by various transformations of the peridium.” It is impossible within the scope of this book to even name all the genera of Gastromycetes. Professor Morgan’s table of the families and table of the genera of Lycoperdaceæ are here given. The orders are defined as are some of the genera, and the edible species are described. TABLE OF FAMILIES OF GASTROMYCETES. _A._ TERRESTRIAL. _(a)_ _Peridium double._ I.—=Phalloi´deæ.= Page 570. Peridium becoming transformed into a receptacle of various shape, with a volva at its base. Gleba becoming dissolved into a dark green mass of jelly. II.—=Lycoperda´ceæ.= Page 577. Peridium sessile, usually with a more or less thickened base or sometimes stipitate, at maturity filled with a dusty mass of mingled threads and spores. _(b)_ _Peridium single._ III.—=Scleroderma´ceæ.= Page 615. Peridium discrete from the gleba, often with a columella; cells of the gleba subpersistent. IV.—=Hymenogastra´ceæ.= Peridium concrete with the gleba, indehiscent; cells of the gleba persistent. (No edible species reported. _C. McIlvaine._) _B._ EPIPHYTAL. V.—=Nidularia´ceæ.= Peridium cyathiform, open at the top, containing one or more distinct peridiola. _Morgan._ (Small. No species reported edible. _C. McIlvaine._) _A._ TERRESTRIAL. (_a_) _Peridium double._ FAMILY I.—=PHALLOIDEÆ.= =Receptacle= and =gleba= at first enclosed in a universal volva composed of three distinct layers, the central one being gelatinous at maturity. =Spores= minute, elliptic-oblong, smooth, when mature involved in mucus. _Massee._ =Spores= 3–5µ in length. _Morgan._ There are but few edible species within the family, and those edible only when very young. The family embraces the very offensive fungi known as stink-horns. TABLE OF GENERA. I.—=PHALLEÆ.= Receptacle consisting of an elongated stipe bearing the gleba on a conical pileus at its apex.