LYCOPERDACEAE 61 



long in section, labyrinthiform, becoming larger and more indistinct as they pass into 

 the subgleba, tie cavities of which are up to about 1 mm. long, empty when young, 

 but becoming loosely filled with soft, woven threads toward maturity so as to obscure 

 their outlines. At full maturity this growth has in most cases entirely obliterated 

 the outlines of the chambers and the subgleba is homogeneous. At times the orig- 

 inal chamber wall may still be noticed, although the cavity is stuffed. This last con- 

 dition is shown in one of the plants on pi. 33. Subgleba occupying a comparatively 

 small part of the peridium, about 3 mm. to 2.5 cm. thick below, depending on the 

 size of the stalk, but running as a thin layer far up around the sides of the gleba. 

 Gleba and subgleba changing when cut or wounded from a pure white to a brilliant 

 yellow, the color change appearing first in the subgleba and slowly spreading over its 

 surface and then over the surface of the gleba. Gleba changing to honey yellow or 

 Isabella color when fully ripe, the subgleba more brownish and often with a tint of 

 chocolate. Glebal chambers usually incompletely breaking down, particularly in the 

 region just beneath the peridium so that erosion is very slow, the gleba remaining as a 

 soft, spongy mass like a powder puff for a long time after exposure. Taste pleasant and 

 odor weak when fresh ; a decidedly strong odor of old ham on drying. 



Spores (of No. 7163) nearly yellow ochre, between that and buckthorn brown of 

 Ridgway, spherical, very minutely rough even under high power (x 2160) with a hyaline 

 outer membrane and a colored inner one, 3^1.4^ thick, with a short pedicel. Basidia 

 subglobose, about 6-8/j. thick, with 2-4 sterigmata. Capillitium threads up to 4.4/i 

 thick, considerably septate, moderately thin-walled and remarkable in the frequent 

 occurrence of distinct holes, 1-3/x in diameter, in the walls, sinuous, usually breaking 

 into short pieces when put under a cover glass. 



This is certainly C. aurea Lloyd (Myc. Notes, p. 11) and it is probably true as 

 Lloyd thinks that C. rubro-flava is the same (Myc. Notes, pp. 32, 90, 149). We have 

 not seen any authentic material of the latter, but the description agrees. The species 

 differs sharply from all other Calvatias in the single layered peridium and homogeneous 

 subgleba at maturity. These characters are probably of enough importance to entitle 

 the plant to a genus of its own. The long persistence of the soft gleba makes these 

 very clean puffballs to handle, and is in sharp contrast to the easily fragmented and 

 dirty habit of C. caelata, etc. A homogeneous subgleba at maturity is, so far as we 

 know, found in no other puffball except C. maxima, C. Candida and Lycoperdon poly- 

 morphic (L. cepaeforme). The present plant is in fact very closely related to C. 

 Candida, and Cunningham reduces it to a variety of that species. The striking color 

 and the remarkable color change of fresh plants when injured lead us to retain it as a 

 species, at least until more is known of C. Candida in the fresh condition. The latter 

 is not known to occur in America. A peculiarity of the color change when a fresh young 

 plant is rubbed is that the bright yellow color persists only for a few minutes, then 

 fades away to the original tint. 



The species seems confined in our country to cultivated soil, and this suggests that 

 it is an introduction, probably from South America. It is reported by Lloyd from 

 Alabama, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Washington, D. C., and Connecticut, and we are 

 adding several other stations. Cragin's plant was found in Kansas. Our record is the 

 first for this state. It is also reported from Brazil, Bolivia, Australia, and Japan. 



Illustrations: Lloyd. Myc. Illustrations, No. 22 (asC. aurea). 



7107. On a lawn, Sept. 2, 1923. Spores minutely rough, 3.5^4.4^. 



7154. Under an arbor among flowers, The Rocks, Sept. 26, 1923. Spores 3-4.2/j thick. 



