Clavarias of the United States and Canada 33 



Spores (of No. 16a) minute, smooth, oval or nearly pip-shaped, 

 hyaline, 2.2-3x3.5-4.4^. Basidia (of B. No. 39) 4[x thick with 

 4 delicate sterigmata; hymenium 30-35^ thick; threads of flesh 

 3.7\m thick, parallel in center, slightly irregular just under the 

 hymenium, clamp connections present. 



This is easily different from any well known American 

 species. It is separated from C. citriceps by smaller spores of 

 different shape, bad odor, hairs at the stem base and (in our plants) 

 by the more habitually forked tips. The plant in texture, habit, 

 and form reminds one most of C. amethystinoides (Hartsville, No. 

 42) which easily differs in much darker color and much larger 

 size and spores. We have found this plant but twice, but Mr. 

 Burnham has sent us a gathering which seems to be the same. 

 The species may be of tropical origin. It is not closely related to 

 C. acuta, which is also found in conservatory tubs. 



The original distribution of the species is well represented in 

 the New York Botanical Garden, and we have carefully compared 

 our plants with it. The dried plants are exactly alike except that 

 the types are not branched in the lot shown. The peculiar tawny 

 setae at the base are quite obvious and furnish ah easy means of 

 separating the species from its relatives. The spores are of char- 

 acteristic shape and the same as in our plants, 3-3.5 x 4-4.8ea. Ac- 

 companying the distributed plants are printed notes, the descrip- 

 tive part of which is as follows (translated) : 



"Gregarious, fragile, yellowish; club cylindrical, simple, rarely 

 bifurcate or spatulate, compressed or striate, glabrous, 2-5 cm. 

 high, stalk brownish-ochraceous ; basidia densely crowded, 30 x 

 5-6(x, 4 sterigmata; spores globose to ellipsoid, base obliquely 

 acuminate, smooth, uniguttulate, 4-5 x 3-4(x." 



In his discussion Cavara says that the spores are peculiar in 

 that some are at first smooth, then slightly warted, but this can 

 hardly mean anything more than collapse, for they are well shown 

 to be smooth (pi. 91, fig. 4) on the plants distributed. 



Clavaria Cyatheae Henn. (in Sacc. Syll. 9: 250. 1891) as 

 described would not positively exclude this species except for the 

 spores which are said to be ferruginous (dimensions not given). 

 Branching is not mentioned. 



