Helvellacees 



VER'PA Swartz. 

 Verpa, a rod. 



Ascophore stipitate, campanulate, attached to the tip of the stem and Verpa. 

 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 hyphae, hymenium entirely 

 covering the outer surface of the ascophore; asci cylindrical, 8-spored. 

 Spores elliptical, continuous, hyaline or nearly so, i-seriate ; paraphyses 

 septate. Stem elongated, stuffed. 



Very closely allied to Helvella; distinguished by the ascophore be- 

 ing 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. PileilS 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 un- 

 der 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 % 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, un- 

 der side slightly pubescent; sporidia yellowish, elliptic. Stem 3 in. 

 high, >2 in. or more thick, slightly attenuated downward, loosely 

 stuffed, by no means hollow. Berkeley. 



Minnesota, Johnson; California, H. and M .; New York, Buffalo, Clin- 

 ton; Oneida, Warne, May. Peck, ^oth, 32d Rep. 



It. Gretna, July, 1897. Road-side bank. Mcllvaine. 



Sold in Italy. Vittadini. Not to be despised when one can not get 

 better nor to be eaten when one can. Badliam. 



The substance of this fungus is the same as that of Helvella. It is 

 pleasant but rather tasteless. 



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