Clavarias of the United States and Canada 93 



This is one of the most widely distributed of all species of 

 plants. It is easily recognized by the cup-shaped expansions at 

 the end of the branches and by the peppery taste and small, 

 white spores. Young plants often lack the cups and if halted 

 may reach maturity without their formation. In such cases the 

 peppery taste which persists in drying will usually prevent con- 

 fusion. Such small forms without cups are C. Petersii, as shown 

 by good collections (the types and co-types) from Pieters at Kew 

 and in the Curtis Herbarium. One of the Curtis plants was exam- 

 ined for spores which proved to be like those of C. pyxidata, 

 smooth, minute, 2.5-3 x 4-4.5 \x. The very characteristic brown 

 hairs at the base are rarely mentioned, but if looked for are a 

 decisive character. When the plant springs from very dense, 

 smooth wood the tomentum is scarcely visible, but between bark 

 and in crevices it is very conspicuous. One collection of C. pyxi- 

 data in the Bresadola Herbarium (Fungi Schemnitzienses) shows 

 well the characteristic tomentose base. The types of C. Petersii 

 (at Kew) show the tomentose base only slightly. Ravenel's 

 Fungi Car. Exs. Fasc. 5, No. 33 (as C. Petersii), shows fine 

 examples with good cups and brown tomentum at the base. 



That this is C. coronata Schw. is almost certain. The latter is 

 represented in his herbarium by a plant not in good condition, but 

 not different apparently and with exactly the same spores, which 

 are about 2-2.4 x 3.5-4[x. In Persoon's herbarium plants labelled 

 C. coronata are well shown to be typical C. pyxidata. Bresadola 

 also regards C. coronata and C. pyxidata as the same, as shown by 

 a note in his herbarium. 



Clavaria chondroidcs from Surinam (type at Kew) looks ex- 

 actly like C. pyxidata (dark reddish cartilaginous) except that 

 there are no cups. The absence of cups, however, is not impor- 

 tant as the plants are small and the branches are clustered. As 

 spores could not be found, the identity is not certainly established. 

 Plants on the same sheet from Ceylon (no name) are typical C. 

 pyxidata. Clavaria javanica Sacc. (C. coronata Zipp.) is not dif- 

 ferent. Authentic plants from Leveille (Java) at Kew are like 

 C. pyxidata in the dried state, and the spores are the same, 

 3-3.5 x 3.8-4.2[jt.. Clavaria candelabra Massee (Kew Bull. Miscell. 

 Information Nos. 153-154: 172. 1899) seems closely related to C. 



