16 THE GASTEROMYCETES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 



Protophallus jamaicensis Murrill 



Plates 15 and 105 



Sessile on very rotten wood; nearly spherical, 2-3.5 cm. thick, whitish, quite smooth 

 and glabrous, attached by a single, strong basal strand as in Phalloids, and the whole 

 with exactly the appearance of a Phalloid "egg." Peridium (volva) single, tough and 

 pliable, membranous, about 0.5 mm. thick, internally lined by a hyaline gelatinous 

 sheath, 1-2.5 mm. thick, which extends inwards as plates between the deep brown, 

 fertile tissue which forms rather narrow, elongated, irregular masses, connecting in 

 center to a distinct, slender, subgelatinous columella, which extends up to about the 

 center. At maturity the sheath, plates, and columella break down into a homogeneous 

 slime like white of an egg, in which the unchanged fertile tissue floats. Dehiscence by 

 rupture of the peridium, probably by bursting from internal pressure. 



Spores 1.5-1.8 x 3.5-4.8/x, smooth, short-elliptic. Basidia subcylindrical, 3-3. 7/j 

 thick at the enlarged end. 



This remarkable plant is obviously nearest Prokibera from Brazil, but is distinctly 

 more Phalloid in appearance, the smooth, even, spherical egg being indistinguishable 

 from that of a typical Phalloid. The gleba also has almost exactly the appearance of 

 that in the egg of Dictyophora. We have here in fact a Phalloid in every respect except 

 the absence of a stalk. It is a beautiful connecting link between Phallogaster, 

 Jaczewskia, Protubera and the true Phalloids. 



Doctor Murrill found the type collection in 1909 (Mycologia 2: 25. 1910) in the 

 same general locality from which our plants were taken nine years earlier. Although 

 extra-limital, we include this plant because of its great interest and because no illus- 

 trations of it have heretofore been published. 



Jamaica. Cinchona. 1900. Coker, coll. (U.N. C. Herb.). 



PHALLOGASTER Morgan 

 We take the following from Thaxter (Bot. Gaz. 18: 120. 1893): 



"Mycelium fibrous, branching. Peridium spherical to pyriform, stipitate or sub- 

 stipitate, consisting of a single layer covered by an evanescent cortex and coarsely 

 reticulated through the presence of numerous irregular thin areas which become per- 

 forate at maturity, the perforation commonly associated with a general terminal 

 dehiscence of the peridium into several divergent lobes. Gleba irregularly lobed, the 

 lobes continuous with slight prominences from the surface of the peridium from which 

 they are elsewhere separated by a gelatinous layer continuous with a central gelatinous 

 axis which penetrates the gleba and separates its lobes. The entire contents deliques- 

 cent at maturity, adhering in distinct masses to the inner surface of the ruptured 

 peridium." 



Phallogaster saccatus Morgan 



We can add nothing of importance to Thaxter's description and take the following 

 from him (Bot. Gaz. 18: 120, pi. 9. 1893): 



"Solitary or rarely subcespitose. Peridium spherical to pyriform, 20-50 x 10-25 

 mm., stipitate or nearly sessile, the surface smooth, slightly uneven, whitish stained with 

 dull flesh-color at maturity, becoming coarsely clathrate from the formation of irregular 

 perforations, the perforation usually associated with a terminal dehiscence of the 

 peridium into from three to five divergent lobes; the dark sage-green gleba adhering in 

 definite masses of irregular size and shape to the inner face of the peridial wall. Spores 



