1915] 



BURT THELEPHORACEAE OF NORTH AMERICA. V 733 



siderable distance from the surface, as in Thelephora Helvel- 

 loides Schw. — is situated the layer of basidia. Only very 

 rarely do the basidia of Sehacina or Eichleriella constitute 

 the surface of the fructification. 



If a fructification contains a palisade layer of deeply stain- 

 ing, pyriform bodies among or underneath the paraphyses 

 and with no simple basidia in the surface layer, more or less 

 prolonged examination of the pyriform bodies is likely to 

 show longitudinal septa in some of them. 



The three genera which comprise the present part of this 

 monograph, are treated here by the writer, because their gen- 

 eral habit and consistency conform so closely with Thele- 

 pJioraceae having simple basidia, that they may be regarded 

 as a connecting group, although belonging with the Tremel- 

 laceae by the structure of their basidia. Such of the species 

 as were described in the past were described as Thele- 

 phoraceae or by authors with special knowledge of the Thele- 

 phoraceae; the taxonomic recognition of fungi of these genera 

 seems likely to continue to fall in the future to students of 

 the Thelephoraceae, for other mycologists will hardly care to 

 glean for material of so few species among the many Thele- 

 phoraceae of similar aspect. 



TREMELLODENDRON 



Tremellodendron Atkinson, Jour. Myc. 8: 106. 1902; Sac- 

 cardo, Syll. Fung. 17: 208. 1905. 



The type species is Merisma candidum Schw. 



Fructifications coriaceous, erect, pileate, branched or rarely 

 simple; hymenium amphigenous or inferior; basidia longi- 

 tudinally cruciately septate ; spores white, even. 



The species of Tremellodendron are indigenous to North 

 America; none have been reported for other regions, so far 

 as I am aware. The fructifications spring up on the ground 

 in deep woods during wet weather in summer and early 

 autumn, and have the general habit of Thelephora vialis, of 

 branched Clavarias, or, very rarely, of simple clubs. In active 

 vegetative condition the fructifications may be distinguished 

 from species of Clavaria of similar habit by coriaceous and 



