Clavarias of the United States and Canada 71 



trunks of deciduous or coniferous wood ; probably the most widely 

 distributed and commonest of Clavarias. Plants under dense 

 hemlock cannot be distinguished from those in open deciduous 

 groves except for a somewhat ranker taste. "Edible and of the 

 best quality." — Mcllvaine. 



Not rarely this species is attacked on the stem by a blackish 

 parasite, giving the lower part a very dark color. This condition 

 is Persoon's C. fallax (as P under C. cristata) which he describes 

 as attacked by such a parasite. He says (Syn. Met. Fung., p. 

 592) : "The sickly condition of the fungus is caused by a certain 

 Sphaeria, living on it as a parasite, which on first sight makes it 

 resemble a Xylaria." The parasite is now known as Scoletotrich- 

 um Clavariarum. Another striking form is smoky purplish above 

 with the stem rather abruptly buffy brown, as shown in pi. 9, fig. 

 4. This might well be called form bicolor. 



The great variability of this plant has led to many names and 

 much confusion. The large, smooth, subspherical spores, pliable 

 texture, and blackening tips are the surest guides. Persoon notes 

 the polymorphic character of C. cristata and says "white to brown- 

 ish subcinereous," but he includes C. cinerca as distinct. Sowerby 

 (pi. 378) also notes this variability, saying: "It is equally 

 variable in form and color, but mostly white." 



In the Persoon Herbarium C. cristata is represented by eight 

 sheets of the species and several so-called varieties. Some have 

 the form of C. cinerea, some are rugose above and with long 

 slender stalks, one called var. dccurtata is a common form, while 

 others are typical with cristate tips. Almost all variations are 

 represented except the simplest rugosa form. Clavaria fimbriata 

 is represented by two good plants which are obviously C. cristata, 

 and C. rugosa is shown by several good collections and is like ours. 

 The spores are smooth, subspherical, 6.5-9.5 x 7.5-1 1|/.. In the 

 same herbarium are three good plants of C. fuliginea which are 

 evidently a color form of C. cristata, having the same habit, size, 

 and spores, as well as crested tips (spores oval, smooth, sometimes 

 tapering toward the mucro end, 6-7.4 x 7.4-9.5jx). Clavaria grisea 

 is well represented in Persoon's herbarium by two sheets, which 

 show that it is C. cinerea, as Cotton has asserted. The spores are 

 smooth, subspherical, 5.5-6.5 x 7A-%. The observation by Per- 

 soon that the spores are brown-red is an error (Cotton. Trans. 



