MITHULA. 27 



On decaying vegetable matter on the ground in damp 

 places. Spring and autumn. Whether edible or not is 

 unknown. 



Name — Diminutive of /uirpa, a little mitre. 



Three species . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 



Key to the Species. 



Totally white . . . . . . . . . . . . alba. 



Stem paler than the pileus . . . . . . . . palurlosa. 



Stern as dark or darker than the pileus . . . . cucullata. 



1. Mitrula cucullata (Batsch). Fries. 



Head ovate or conical, even, nearly ferruginous ; stem 

 filiform, flexuous, brown, approaching black, glabrous, or 

 tomentose downwards ; asci cylindraceo-clavate ; sporidia 

 8, narrowly fusiform, bi- or tri-guttulate, 12 X 3/z ; para- 

 physes filiform. 



Elvella cucullata — Batsch., "EL," f. 152. Mitrula 

 cucullata — Fries, " Summa Veg. Scan.;'' 347 ; Berk., 

 "Outl.," 360; Cooke, " Handbk.," 1951; Karst., "Myco. 

 Fenn.," p. 28; Fckl., " Svmb. Myco.," p. 332; Cooke, 

 "Mycogr.," fig. 176; Quelet, "Champ.," pt. 1, p. 378; 

 Gill., " Champ.," p. 27, c. i. Mitrula (Hcyderia) abietis — 

 Fries, "Sys. Myco.," i. p. 493. M. Heyderi — Pers., 

 "Disp.," 56, t. 3, f. 12; "Flo. Dan.," t. 1670, f. 2. M. 

 Pusilla — Fries, " Sys. Myco.," i. p. 493. Leotia mitrula 

 —Pers., "Syn. Fung.," 611 ; " Myco. Eur.," i. p. 199; A. 

 and S., 295; Grev., "Flo. E lin.," p. 416; "Sc. Crvpt. 

 Flo.," t. 81. L. 2msilla—Nees, " Sys.," p. 173, 1. 17, f. 160. 

 Geoglossum cuadlatum — Fries, " Elench.," i. 233 ; " Eng. 

 Flo.," v. 179. Clavaria fcrruginea — Sow., t. 84. 



Exs.— Desm., " Crypt. Fr.," i. 1155 ; " Erb. Crit. Ital.," 

 i. 466 ; Rabh., " Funp;. Eur.," 37, 669 ; Kze. and Schm., 98 ; 

 Fckl., "F. Rh.," 1237; Wartm. and Sch., 431; Cooke, 

 " Fung. Brit.," 233 ; Berk, " Brit. Fung.," 254 ; Phil, " Elv. 

 Brit.," No. 53; Karst., "Fung. Fenn.," 447; Roumg., 

 " Fung. Gal.," 713. 



On decaying pine-leaves. Autumn. 



A small plant, not more than 2 inches high, very 

 slender, gregarious. The head varies in form, being ovate, 



