12 Clavarias of the United States and Canada 



rarely very small. Growing on earth or in humus. This large 

 group contains a varied assortment of species which are so in- 

 tricately related that it is difficult to arrange them in any well- 

 defined series or in natural clans that would contain more than a 

 few species. The few species with large, smooth spores form 

 an obvious clan. They are further distinguished by the soft, not 

 brittle flesh and pale color. These are C. Strasseri, C. obtusissima, 

 and C. seainda. Another natural assembly is that composed of 

 C. botrytis, C. subbotrytis, C. sanguinca, C. flava, and C. divari- 

 cata. Their chief characteristics are the crisp, rigid, brittle flesh, 

 densely branched habit, and the pale and only faintly roughened 

 spores. 



It is this group 10 that composes in great part the genus 

 Clavariella Karsten as amended by Schoeter in Krypt. Fl. v. Schle- 

 sien 3 : 447, 1888, and with further amendment by the addition of 

 C. flava, C. botrytis, and their kin, which from Fries's day to very 

 recently most authors have erroneously classified as white-spored. 

 Karsten also made the error of including here C. pistillaris, C. 

 ligula, C. fistulosa and C. paradoxa which are white-spored; but 

 Schroeter corrected this error. Schroeter confines the genus 

 Clavaria to all the white-spored species not included in his genus 

 Clavidina, which, as above stated, comprised the cristata group. 

 In redefining Karsten's genus Clavariella, Schroeter made the 

 mistake of saying that the spores were smooth. In fact, in most 

 species of Clavaria, the spores, if distinctly colored, are rough. 



11. Plants large to small, isolated, or in small clusters, 

 branched, stem not bulky, texture fleshy, but not very brittle; 

 color strong, ochraceous, cinnamon or brown, tending to green or 

 purple in some cases; spores dark, ochraceous or brown, pip- 

 shaped, spiny or warted. Growing on rotting leaves or humus; 

 C. grandis, C. cyanocephala, C. longicaidis, C. Broomei, C. Mur- 

 rilli, C. decurrens, C. abietina, C. myceliosa. This is a well marked 

 group and is represented from the arctic to the tropic regions. 



The genus Ramaria of Holmskjold (Beata Ruris, p. XVII) in- 

 cluded all branched Clavarias and if not too strictly interpreted 

 it did no great violence to natural relationships. It was, however, 

 not recognized by Persoon and has not been accepted since except 

 as a sub-genus or group. Holmskjold confined Clavaria to the 



