Clavarias of the United States and Canada 163 



C. syringarum Pers. Myc. Europ. 1 : 164. 1822. 

 C.Kewensis Mass. Journ. Bot. (Britten's) 34: 153. 1896. 

 Lachnocladium odoratum Atk. Ann. Myc. 6 : 58. 1908. 



Plates 61,62, and 88 



Plants growing in colonies on dead wood of deciduous trees; 

 height 4-8.5 cm. above the more or less amorphous mass at the 

 base, which may extend several centimeters between the flakes of 

 bark and in most cases is attached below to a single large rhizo- 

 morph; branching usually at once, on emerging from the wood, 

 into several flattish and channelled divisions which rebranch 

 several times in a very irregular way into rather strictly upright 

 and crowded branches; the ultimate branches terminating in 

 several small pointed teeth; color where exposed a very light 

 fleshy tan at first, turning a little darker at maturity, and deeper 

 brown where bruised. The hidden base, the rhizomorph, and the 

 mycelium are pure white and covered with a conspicuous fibrous 

 pubescence which extends upon the branches when these are 

 hidden in the bark. Texture very tough and elastic, not at all 

 brittle, the branches not breaking even when bent back on them- 

 selves; taste bitterish; odor of radish, at least at times. Sterile 

 areas of a different appearance, showing a roughish, plush-like 

 surface under a lens, are commonly found running more or less 

 extensively throughout the plant. 



Spores (of No. 1228) about cinnamon-buff, almost imper- 

 ceptibly rough, elliptic with a large oblique mucro on one end, 

 3.8-4.4 x 7.5-9[x. The spores are peculiar in that a small propor- 

 tion of them have the contents collapsed away on one side near the 

 mucro. This gives the impression except under high power of a 

 very long and abrupt mucro. Basidia 6.2-9[/. thick, with 4 sterig- 

 mata about 4.5-5^ long; young hymenium 35-40;j. thick, growing 

 and becoming multiple, 3 to 4 layers thick, in age ; otherwise re- 

 markable in containing a vast number of embedded spores which 

 are often arranged in more or less clearly defined layers and indi- 

 cating periods of growth. Subhymenial layer typically well 

 marked off by yellowish color and much denser structure, the 

 threads closely packed and parallel. The remainder of the flesh 

 much less dense and composed of irregularly woven threads which 

 are about 3-7. 5[x thick with thick walls, in places closing the lumen. 



The species is occasional on oak, birch, maple and other 

 deciduous wood throughout a large territory, but seems rare at 



