102 BA S IDIOM 1 r CE TES 



white, yellow or even brighter colors like pink and violet. A 

 number are less conspicuous and consequently less known, form- 

 ing waxy or horny, simple or branched bodies. In all cases the 

 members of the family may be distinguished by having the 

 hymenial layer normally apical and exposed, rather than under- 

 neath and protected as in the allied families. The genera may 

 be distinguished as follows : 



1. Plant small, simple. 2. 

 Plant mostly larger, conspicuous, usually branched, but occasionally 



simple and club-like. 4. 



2. Plant capitate, hollow. PHYSALACRIA. 

 Plant clavate or filiform. 3. 



3. Basidia with two sterigmata. PiSTiLLARlA. 

 Basidia with four sterigmata. TYPHULA. 



4. Branches strongly flattened, leaf-like. SPARASSIS. 

 Branches or clubs terete or only slightly compressed. 5. 



5. Context fleshy; simple or commonly much branched. CLAVARIA.* 

 Context cartilaginous, horny when dry ; mostly slender filiform. 



PTERULA. 

 Context cojiaceous ; surface tomentose. LACIINOCLADIUM. 



Sparassis crispa sometimes forms masses as large as one's 

 head ; S. Herbstii is a handsome species recently described. 



In collecting species of Clavaria, the largest genus, ample field 

 notes should be taken, including color, color of spores, j- taste, 

 habitat and the character of the apices of the branches. Many 

 of the largest species of Clavaria and Sparassis are edible and 

 none are known to be deleterious. 



Family 4. Hydnaceae. 



The members of this family are known as the prickly fungi 

 since the more typical forms are provided with teeth. In the 

 typical genus, Hydnuni, these teeth are normally terete, but in 

 Irpex they become flattened, and in Raditlitin and Phlcbia they 



* Morgan (Jour. Cincinnati Soc. Nat. Hist, n : 86-90) gives descriptions 

 of twenty species growing in the Ohio Valley, and Peck (Reg. Rep. 24 : 

 104, 105) gives synopses of twenty New York species without descriptions. 



f Easily obtained by laying the plant under a tumbler or bell-jar on paper, 

 preferably colored. 



