214 THE NORTH AMERICAN SLIME-MOULDS 



This species, common throughout the northern world, is dis- 

 tinguished from its congener, the following, not only by the 

 episporic character, but generally by its different peridium and 

 more sombre colors. It never shows at maturity the brilliant 

 golden yellow fluff that hangs in masses about the open and 

 empty peridia of T. favoginea, a fact not unnoted by Batsch, 

 and rendering his figure and description so far determinable. 



The episporic network shows all degrees of perfection or 

 imperfection, and the elater also varies somewhat both in the 

 apices and distinctness of longitudinal striae. The several 

 synonyms listed seem to have taken origin in a recognition of 

 some of the more pronounced variations. In any event the 

 American form T. abrnpta Cke., with bifid apices, belongs here, 

 and European specimens seem to show the identity of forms 

 described by Karsten and De Bary. 



Not rare. New England, Canada, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, and west. 



7. TRICHIA FAVOGINEA (Batsch) Pcrs. 



PLATE IV., Figs. 5, 5 a, 5 b. 



1786. Lycoperdon favogineum Batsch, Elench. Fung., p. 257, Fig. 173, , b. 



1791 . Sphczrocarpus chrysospermus Bull., Champ, de Fr., Tab. 417, Fig. 4. 



1794. Trichia favoginea (Batsch) Pers., Rom. N. Mag. Bot., I., p. 90. 



1875. Trichia chrysospenna (Bull.) Rost., Mon., p. 255. 



Sporangia closely crowded, cylindric or prismatic by mutual 

 pressure, obovoid, sessile, olivaceous yellow, smooth and shin- 

 ing ; the peridium thin, opening above somewhat stellately, 

 persistent ; capillitium golden yellow, escaping entirely from 

 the peridia, and forming large woolly masses above them, the 

 threads long, even, beautifully sculptured, bearing spirals about 

 four, usually smooth and connected by light longitudinal ridges, 

 the apices short tapering, about equal to the width of the elater, 

 6-7 fM ; spores concolorous, by transmitted light paler, but still 

 bright yellow, the episporic net conspicuous, the bands narrow 

 and high, not pitted nor fragmentary, in form irregularly 

 globose, 12-14 /* Plasmodium yellow. 



