66 THE GASTEROMYCETES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 



Illustrations: Hollos. I. c, pi. 17, figs. 3-5. 



Lloyd. Genera of Gasteromycetes, pi. 10, fig. 48. 



Massee. Journ. Roy. Mic. Soc, 1887, pi. 13, figs. 13-15. 



Morgan. Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist. 12: pi. 16, fig. 7. 

 Illustrations of C. saccata: Hollos. 1. c, pi. 16. 



Krombholz. Abbild., pi. 30, figs. 11,12. 



New York. Peck, coll. (N. Y. B. G. Herb., as L. saccatum). 



Connecticut. Litchfield. Miss White, coll. (N. Y. Bot. Gard. Herb, and U. N. C. Herb.). 



Massachusetts. Waltham. Reported by Lloyd in Genera of Gasteromycetes, p. 12. 



Ontario. Byron. Dearness, coll. Two plants. No. 2843 H. (U. N. C. Herb.). Spores minutely 

 warted, short-pedicellate, 3.7-5^. Capillitium threads not breaking up into short pieces, 

 pitted, sinuous in places, up to 9m thick. No. 4825/2843. (Dearness Herb.). 



Calvatia cretacea (Berk.) Lloyd 

 Lycoperdon cretaceum Berk. 

 C. borealis Th. Fries 



Plate 112 



Peridium subglobose to flattened, plicate below, the base pinched to a small point 

 which is lightly attached by white mycelium, 2.5-5 cm. broad; cortex conspicuous, white 

 then buffy to ochraceous, composed of a continuous coat which consists above of thick 

 compound warts with connivent tips, becoming smoother downward and fading to a 

 mealy furfurescence below, or in some cases much smoother above and resembling the 

 smoother forms of Scleroderma aurantium; in all cases cracking into irregular areas or 

 groups of warts much as in Lycoperdon marginatum and falling away by degrees to expose 

 the thin, shining, silvery brown to chocolate colored inner peridium which falls away in 

 flakes from above downward. Gleba passing through golden olive to chocolate brown, 

 the subgleba small, chocolate brown or the basal part white, the chambers obvious, 

 but not large. 



Spores (of plant from Lapland) spherical, greenish yellow under the microscope, 

 minutely but distinctly warted, the warts embedded in a hyaline coat, 4.2-5.5/^, rarely 

 6.8ju, with one strong oil drop and sometimes a mucro. Capillitium threads fragmented, 

 color of spores, often wavy, rarely branched, much pitted, 3-7ju thick. 



This arctic species is strongly characterized by its thick, deciduous cortex and 

 purplish brown gleba. It was first described from Bellot Island, and has since been 

 reported from Lapland by Th. C. E. Fries (as C. borealis; Zur Kenntnis der Gastero- 

 myceten flora in Torne Lappmark, p. 238. 1914) and from Herschel Island, Kay 

 Point, Mackenzie River Delta, and Bernard Harbor by Mr. John Dearness (Rept. 

 Canadian Arctic Exp. 1913-18, 4, Part C: 17. 1923). We have two good collections 

 from Lapland made by us in 1921, and these show the variation in the cortex mentioned 

 above. Lloyd (Myc. Notes, p. 650) suggests that C. arctica Ferdinandsen and Winge 

 (Meddelelser om Groenland 43: 144, pi. 9. 1910; see Saccardo, Sylloge 21: 480) 

 may be the same and in this he is followed by Fries (Arkiv f. Botanik 17, No. 9: 23. 

 1921). We think it very probable that this supposition will finally prove to be correct. 

 The illustrations of C. arctica show stouter warts than are recorded for C. cretacea 

 (up to 8 mm. thick at least in one plant) and little or no chocolate color is shown in the 

 gleba. However, in the discussion Ferdinandsen says the gleba is "grayish chocolate- 

 brown." The larger warts may easily be a variation within the species. The long 

 sterigmata described in C. arctica are a remarkable peculiarity, but this does not 



