Helvellacese 



Sandy soil in the borders of woods and in open places. West Albany Morcheiia. 

 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 ap- 

 proach 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. (Plate CXLIX.) 



Peck, 48th Rep. N. Y. State Bot. 



M. semilib'era B.C. half-free. The Half- 

 free morell has a conical cap, the lower half 

 of which is free from the stem. It rarely ex- 

 ceeds i in. or i 3^ 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 hemi- 

 spherical 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. 



35 545 



MORCHELLA SEMILIBERA. 



Badham. 



