PREFACE 



It seems to be generally felt that there is need for a handbook of Gasteromycetes. 

 There has been in this country no comprehensive treatment of the species as a whole 

 and in logical order with convenient keys, and as a result this highly interesting and 

 varied group has been neglected by many who would otherwise enjoy their study. 

 Lloyd, Morgan, and Peck have been the principal recent students of the Gasteromycetes 

 and their publications are indispensable. Morgan included all the families except 

 Hvsterangiaceae and Hymenogastraceae, which were nearly unknown in America at that 

 time, and established several new genera. Lloyd was occupied with these plants for 

 years and has published a large number of good photographs, several monographs, and 

 many notes. His collections, which are the largest in America, are available, and so are 

 Peck's, but so far as this group is concerned Morgan's, unfortunately, have been almost 

 destroyed. 



In preparing this book we have studied all available species microscopically and 

 have compared types and authentic specimens in many cases. To this end the senior 

 author has visited the following herbaria: Persoon's at Leiden, Bresadola's at Stock- 

 holm, Kew Herbarium, New York Botanical Garden Herbarium, Curtis Herbarium, 

 Schweinitz Herbarium, Lloyd Herbarium, and the Pathological and Mycological 

 Herbarium at Washington. This last contains Michener's herbarium which includes 

 many important plants from the Schweinitz Herbarium. To a number of correspond- 

 ents we are indebted for generous gifts of material. Among these are Dr. W. A. Murrill, 

 Mr. C. G. Lloyd, Miss Edith Cash, Mr. John Dearness, Dr. Homer D. House, Mr. H. C. 

 Beardslee, Dr. Roland Thaxter, Mr. F. W. Pennell, Miss E. M. Wakefield (Kew), 

 Professor N. Patouillard (Paris), Dr. G. F. Weber, Dr. C. L. Shear, Mr. Elam Bar- 

 tholomew and Mr. G. H. Cunningham (New Zealand). 



Other members of the botanical staff of this University have been of much assist- 

 ance. Most of the microscopic work has been done by Dr. Couch and the drawings 

 have been made by him and Miss Alma Holland, the latter having done all the ink work 

 and drawn many of the spores. Nearly all the written matter and most of the photo- 

 graphs are by the senior author and the microscopical work and drawings have been 

 carefully supervised. 



The literature has been referred to throughout this work under families, genera 

 and species, but for convenience we list on page 194 the more important general works 

 dealing with the entire group or with several families. 



w. c. c. 



Chapel Hill, N. C. 

 June, 1927. 



