ARCYRIA 193 



This beautiful species is easily known by its comparatively 

 large size, peculiar, obovate shape, its brilliant color, and unusu- 

 ally persistent membranous calyculus. It is peculiar to the 

 western part of North America, South Dakota west to the 

 Pacific Ocean. According to Lister, Mycetosoa, p. 185, A. vcrsi- 

 color Phillips is the same thing. 



South Dakota, Colorado, Nevada, California, Washington. 



5. ARCYRIA INCARNATA Persoon. 



1786. Clathrus adnatus Batsch, Elench. Fung., 141. (?) 

 1791. Arcyria incarnata Pers., Gmel., Syst. Nat., II., p. 1467. 



Sporangia closely crowded, cylindric, 1-1.5 mm - high, rosy or 

 flesh-colored, stipitate or almost sessile ; stipe generally short, 

 sometimes barely a conical point beneath the calyculus ; hypo- 

 thallus none; peridium wholly evanescent, except the shallow, 

 saucer-like, inwardly roughened calyculus; capillitium loose, 

 broad, pale reddish, attached to the cup at the centre only by 

 strands which enter the hollow stem, the threads adorned with 

 transverse plates, cogs, ridges, etc., arranged in an open spiral ; 

 spore-mass rosy, spores by transmitted light colorless, nearly 

 smooth, 7-8 /u,. 



This common species is well marked both by its color and 

 by the delicate attachment of the capillitium to the calyculus. 

 This is so frail that the slightest breath ofttimes suffices to 

 effect a separation, and the empty calyculi are not infrequently 

 the only evidence of the fructification. This peculiarity did not 

 escape the attention of Persoon, and is well shown in his figure 

 (Obs. Myc., I., p. 58, t. V., Figs. 4 and 5) Deferred to by Gmelin, 

 I.e. Batsch simply named and described Micheli's figure (Tab. 

 XCIV., Fig. 2), and accordingly his claim to priority is no 

 better than Micheli's figure, which may possibly concern the 

 present species, but is in no sense determinative. It is impos- 

 sible to say what Retzius meant by his ClatJims ramosus, cited 

 by Fries as a synonym here. 



Common, especially in the Mississippi Valley and south ; 

 more rare westwardly ; Black Hills, South Dakota, 

 o 



