38 Clavarias of the United States and Canada 



ceous when bruised or wilting, the stem a clearer and more trans- 

 lucent color and not rarely tinted with green and marked with in- 

 herent green fibrils. Flesh solid, or with a small irregular hol- 

 low, color of surface except for a lighter center, fragile and brit- 

 tle, but not quite so much so as in C. jragilis, and usually not snap- 

 ping with so clean a break, the center more loosely fibrous than 

 the surface ; taste woody musty and at times a good deal like tal- 

 low, not strong ; odor none. 



Spores (of No. 2755) white, smooth, elliptic, slightly bent, 

 2.2-3 x 7-8.2f/., most about 2.3 x 7.5\x. Basidia (of No. 4368) 

 4.8-6. 6[x thick with 2-4 sterigmata; buried in the hymenium so that 

 the tips of the sterigmata just reach the outer surface of the hy- 

 menium, which is about 45 [/. thick. Threads of the context shaped 

 in cross section like parenchyma cells. 



This is the plant that has usually been referred to C. inacqualis 

 in American herbaria, but we must now apply that name to another 

 species. From Persoon's description it would seem highly probable 

 that our plants are his C. helve ola, the yellow color, fuscous tips in 

 age, closely set but not connate bases, etc., all agreeing perfectly; 

 but we have not been able to prove this from the type plants in his 

 herbarium. There are two sheets under this name and one of 

 the variety dispar. The former look like ours, but we have found 

 no good Clavaria spores on them (mold spores are present). The 

 so-called variety looks much like C. muscoides and the spores are 

 about right for that species. 



A pale form is found that is puzzling and might easily be re- 

 ferred to C. jragilis unless care is used. Such a form is repre- 

 sented by collections No. 2788 and No. 2818 which were pale 

 creamy flesh color (very pale apricot). 



The species is, like C. vermiculata, gregarious on mossy lawns, 

 etc., as well as in woods, and has the same shape and habit as that 

 species, from which it may be distinguished by the taste, color, 

 less rugose club and by the larger spores. We have little doubt 

 that C. luteo-alba of England is a form of the present species. 

 Plants kindly sent us by Dr. Cotton are just like ours in the dry 

 state and have identical spores, smooth, ovate, with one distinct 

 oil drop, 3.5 x 5-7 \k. It is also to be observed that in several of 

 our collections not otherwise distinct a taste of tallow was noticed. 

 The original description of C. luteo-alba calls for the tips to be con- 



