HEMITRICHIA 203 



iridescent ; capillitium a tangle of sparingly branched yellow or 

 ochraceous yellow threads, rather slender, 3-5 //,, marked by one 

 or two prominent spiral bands forming a loose somewhat ir- 

 regular spiral, the free ends not infrequent, inflated and rounded ; 

 spore-mass yellow or yellow ochraceous, spores by transmitted 

 light pale yellow, distinctly and sharply spinulose, but not 

 netted, 10-11 p. 



A rare and beautiful species, distinguished well by the small 

 size, about .5 mm., by the thin iridescent peridium, as by the 

 microscopic character exhibited by the capillitial threads. 



There seems no doubt that this is Persoon's TricJiia ovata. 

 His description is accurate in all that pertains to external 

 features, and Rostafinski, App. t p. 41, explicitly says that he 

 saw in Persoon's herbarium specimens of the species bearing 

 the name cited. Just why Rostafinski did not here adopt the 

 older name is not clear, nor is there excuse for abandoning 

 Wigand's name were Persoon's invalid. According to Lister, 

 TricJiia nana Mass., from Maine, is the same thing. Persoon, 

 I.e., gives a synonymy which, in the nature of case, is un- 

 verifiable, the specific characters being microscopic. 



Rare. Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio. 



4. HEMITRICHIA VESPARIUM (BatscJi) Macbr. 



1786. Lycoperdon vesparium Batsch, Elench. Fung., pp. 255, 256, Fig. 172. 

 1794. Trichia rubiformis Pers., Rom. N. Bot. Mag., I., p. 88. 

 1875. Hemiarcyria rubiformis (Pers.) Rost, Mon., p. 262. 



Sporangia clustered or crowded, rarely single, clavate or sub- 

 cylindric, stipitate or sessile, dark wine red or red black in color, 

 the peridium in perfect specimens glossy or shining metallic, 

 opaque ; stipes solid, usually blent together, concolorous ; capil- 

 litium of intertwisted slender threads, sparingly branched, 

 marked by three or four spiral ridges, abundantly spinulose, 

 the free tips also acuminate, terminating in a spine, the whole 

 mass dull red. Spore-mass brownish red, spores by transmitted 

 light reddish orange, very distinctly warted, sub-globose, 10- 



12 ft. 



