Helvellaceae 



HeiveUa. On decaying wood, stumps, trunks. Spring until autumn. 

 Known to be edible. Peck. 



* 



H. elas'tiea 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 furfur- 

 aceous, at first solid, then hollow. Spores hyaline, smooth, continu- 

 ous, elliptical, ends obtuse, often i-guttulate, 18-20x10-1 i/u.; i-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'fllla 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 m - broad. Stem i%2/4 in. long, % 

 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, 21-23x1 i-12/x. Massee. 



West Virginia, Pennsylvania. Decaying trunks, stumps and roots. 

 Mcllvaine. 



Edible. Cooke, Curtis, Peck. 



Equal to any Helvella. 



538 



