Helvellaceae 



Gyromitra. parts, rich chocolate-brown or somewhat lighter if much covered with 

 the leaves among which it grows, whitish underneath; asci 8-spored. 

 Spores oval, 28-3O/A long, by about 141** wide, hyaline, somewhat 

 roughened-tuberculate, usually nucleate, the highly refractive nucleus 

 spherical or oval, II/A or, if oval, 14x11^ in diameter; paraphyses 

 slender, enlarged at the apex, faintly septate. 



In rich woods, mostly in beech-leaf mold. Putnam county, Ind., 

 May, 1892, 1893 an d 1894. First found by Dr. W. V. Brown. 



The plant is esculent, tender and possesses a fine flavor. Often as 

 many as 8 or 10 plants would be found in one small area, but the plant 

 appears to be local and never very abundant. Some single plants would 

 weigh nearly half a pound. 



Mitruia. 



MI'TRULA Fr. 



(Emended, Massee.} 



Ascophore stipitate, fleshy. Head subglobose, ovate, or clavate, 



even, glabrous, everywhere covered with the 

 (Plate CL.) hymenium, adnate throughout to the more or 



less elongated stem ; asci cylindric-clavate, 

 8-spored. Spores narrowly elliptic-fusiform, 

 hyaline, continuous or septate, irregularly 

 I 2-seriate ; paraphyses present. Fries. 



M. vitelli'na Sacc., var. irregularis Pk. 

 vitellus, egg-yolk. PileilS clavate, often 

 irregular or compressed and somewhat lobed, 

 obtuse, glabrous, yellow, tapering below into 

 the short, rather distinct, yellowish or whitish 

 stem. Spores narrowly elliptical, S-IO/A long. 



When the Irregular mitrula is well grown 

 and symmetrical it closely resembles the 

 typical European plant, but usually the clubs 

 or caps are curved, twisted, compressed or 

 lobed in such a way that it is difficult to find 

 two plants just alike. The plants are usually 

 only one or two inches high, so that they 



would scarcely be thought of any importance as an edible species. But 



54S 



MlTRULLA VITELLINA. 



