108 Clavarias of the United States and Canada 



The spore measurements given by Saccardo are taken from Brit- 

 zelmayr and are thus incorrect. The only illustration of the true 

 C. crocea is Persoon's in Icon. Descr. Fung., pi. 9, fig. 6. 1798. 

 The illustration by Pabst under this name (Crypt. -Flora, etc., 2: 

 pi. 21. 1875) is too large and coarse to represent this species. 



From small branched forms of C. muscoides this species dif- 

 fers in much greater delicacy, richer color, absence of taste and 

 different spores. The form of C. crocea that we have found at 

 Chapel Hill and Blowing Rock is exactly like the Connecticut 

 plants except for the golden yellow color (a change to green when 

 bruised was noted in No. 4660), and it is very likely that 

 this last form is the C. tetragona of Schweinitz (Schr. Nat. Ges. 

 Leipzig 1: 112. 1822) of which no type or authentic specimen is 

 known to exist. We have not noticed an angular tendency in 

 the species, but that compressed or angled forms may occur is not 

 at all improbable, and this is indeed suggested by the fact that 

 Atkinson referred to C. tetragona an Ithaca plant (No. 23376) 

 which is the same as our C. crocea, with spores minutely asperu- 

 late, 3x4[x. The description of C. sulphur ascens Schw. (Trans. 

 Amer. Phil. Soc. II, 4: 182. 1832) strongly suggests C. crocea, 

 but the color is not just right. No type or authentic specimen is 

 known. 



Clavaria pulchclla Boud. (C. exigua Pk., etc.) cannot be dis- 

 tinguished from this species except by the color, and it is possible 

 that it is only a color form of C. crocea. There is also possibly a 

 white form of this species. In the Bresadola Herbarium is a col- 

 lection of C. crocea collected by O. Jaap under alders which, from 

 the determination, is presumably of a yellowish or saffron color 

 and has spores 2.2-2.5 x 3-3. 5{x. With these were growing plants 

 which were pure white, but otherwise of exactly the same appear- 

 ance. We find the spores to be subspherical, obscurely rough, 

 2-3 x 2.5-3.7[a. Bresadola has referred these to C. subtilis, with 

 which they agree except for very small size and somewhat 

 smaller spores. The two species are evidently related, as is also 



C. vestitipes. 



North Carolina: Chapel Hill. No. 4660. Mixed woods in hog pasture, 

 September 28, 1920. Small specimens, agreeing with the Connecticut 

 plant in all particulars except depth of color and change to green when 

 crushed; 3-5 mm. high, several times forked, orange yellow, somewhat 



