10 



while the plant is stitl eaclosed in the volva, (PL i. Fig. 3), are sev- 

 eral times pHcated or folded and strongly compressed. In the ma- 

 ture plant, the evidence of these plications is still visible, causing 

 the expanded chambers to appear as if composed of a string of round- 

 ish cells of nearly uniform size ; as seen in Fig. 5 of Plate i, which 

 represents an edge of the stipe in section, and shows the external 

 aspect of the cells or cavities as seen in its interior. The external 

 walls of this innermost layer of cells are smooth and continuous, and 

 rarely perforated. . Those of the extreme outer layer, in the very 

 early stages of the plant, are entire and arranged horizontally like 

 the cells in the hymenophore of Cynophalhis canimis ; but, when the 

 fungus is fully expanded, these become minutely lacerated and per- 

 forated so as to give the external surface of the stipe, when viewed 

 under the lens, a spongy aspect. The apex of the stipe is somewhat 

 abruptly rounded and perforate ; and from the margin of the aperture 

 start the primary branches (6 to 8 in number) of the cancellate 

 structure. These hollow branches or reticulations, septate at inter- 

 vals, are an upward extension of the inner layer of cells ; they have 

 precisely the same structure, and only differ in being more vertically 

 compressed and laterally flattened (PI. i, Fig. 4.) Occasionally two 

 contiguous rows of cells unite to form one of the reticulations, and 

 in this case the latter is marked throughout its whole extent by a 

 deep central depression. In the smaller specimens of S. rubescens 

 ' the areolations formed by the reticulations are in most cases quite 

 uniformly and regularly pentagonal, but in the larger plants there 

 appears to be a little less regularity in this respect. 



The outlines of Fig. i, Plate i, (which represents the full size 

 apparently to which the plant attains) were copied from a water-col- 

 or drawing executed by Miss Trask, all of the specimens which I 

 have seen being much smaller. Fig, 2 shows one of these small spec- 

 imens with the capitulum slightly elevated in order to exhibit the 

 rounded apex of the stipe and its mode of juncture with the recep- 

 cle. Although the latter features are always strongly marked in the 

 dried specimens, they would scarcely be noticed on a mere cursory 

 inspection of the living fungus owing to the depression of the capi- 

 tulum around the top of the stipe, which is due to its somewhat 

 flabby consistency. Plate 2 shows a curious departure from the nor- 

 mal form, in which two stipes arise from the same volva and support 

 one capitulum in common. This figure, which has been photo-en- 

 graved from a sketch not intended for publication, is incorrect in one 

 particular, the vertical diameter of the receptacle being represented 

 at least a third too great. The specimen was brought to me by Mn 

 tn m7' I Studying this plant, I havebeen under great obligations 



.er^.r^'^/f'"'^'^^''-' ^'^'^' ^^^ ^^^'^y f^^ specimens, fresh and pre- 

 served, and for various items of ' " ' " 



A^ ^n<^.tor various items of information in regard to it 

 As the literature relating to the American Phalloidei is \ 



somewhat 



detected 



, ^ c**AVi oj_^tv.n^3 ui Lue oruer WJ 



ted States up to the present time. 



