86 THE GASTEROMYCETES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 



4-5 times as long as the spore. Capillitium threads up to 6.6m thick, pitted, sparsely 

 branched, ochraceous under transmitted light. 



Growing in humus or on logs in deciduous woods, and apparently northern in its 

 range except for the higher southern mountains (reported by Atkinson from Alabama). 

 It has not before been reported from our state. The species is easily recognized by the 

 rather long, deciduous spines, the pale, shining, inner peridium and particularly by the 

 very characteristic smooth spores with very long persistent pedicels. Lloyd includes 

 this species in his expansion of the genus Bovistella (Myc. Notes, p. 282), but we are 

 not including in Bovistella plants with the capillitium of Lycoperdon. 

 Illustrations: Hollos. I. c, pi. 20, figs. 44-47. 



Morgan. 1. c, 14: pi. 2, fig. 2. 

 North Carolina. Blowing Rock. Coker and party, August 1922. No. 5668. On rotting wood of 



a deciduous tree. 

 New York. Center. (N. Y. B. G. Herb.) Spores oval, smooth, 3.2-3.6 x 3.5-4/j, with slender, per- 

 sistent pedicels up to 3(V. 

 Wisconsin. Parfrey's Glen. (U. N. C. Herb, and Univ. Wis. Herb.) Spores oval, smooth, 3.4-3.8 x 

 3.7-4.5/x, with slender pedicels up to 35/i long. 

 Homewood. (Univ. Wis. Herb, and U. N. C. Herb.) Spores oval, smooth or nearly so, 3.5-4 x 

 4-5/i, with slender pedicels up to 35/i long. 



Lycoperdon eximium Morgan 



Plates 54 and 113 



Plants up to 4 cm. broad, turbinate, distinctly stalked, even or plicate beneath. 

 Cortex composed of slender spines about 1 mm. long which often curve and converge 

 at the apex, and gradually decrease in length downward until they are mere granules 

 at the base of the stalk; color tan, brownish tan or deeper brown, and in age the spines 

 become very deep brown. After maturity the spines begin to wear away, so that in 

 age they are reduced to granular dots, or even these may be worn off in areas, so as to 

 expose the tan or light brown shining layer beneath. The mouth is a torn, irregular 

 opening of rather tardy appearance. Gleba greenish yellow, then brownish olivaceous 

 and at full maturity deep brown with a tint of purple, about bister of Ridgway. Sub- 

 gleba of honeycomb structure, occupying all of the stalk and extending with a thin 

 expansion to the broadest part, occupying in all about one-third to one-fourth of the 

 body. 



Spores (of No. 1002) purplish brown, elliptic or oval, with a thicker, clear inner wall 

 and a darker outer wall which is dotted with minute warts, surrounded by a hyaline 

 coat, distinctly stalked, 4.3-5 x 5-6. 5m. Capillitium of long, sparingly branched, 

 deep brown threads that are almost the diameter of the spores, and taper to slender tips. 



Recognized by its densely set, regular spines, dark color in age and rather large 

 oval spores. It does not seem to have been reported from this state before, and has 

 been known only from South Carolina and Alabama. The species is described by 

 Morgan as having brownish olivaceous spores, but in our fully mature plants with open 

 mouths the spores are deep purplish brown. Only a slight difference in maturity would 

 make this difference in color. 



Illustrations: Lloyd. Myc. Works, pi. 59, figs. 6-8. 



Morgan. Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist. 14: pi. 2, fig. 3. 

 1002. In a pine grove, Sept. 28, 1913. 



1762. In pine woods, Sept. 12, 1915. Spores minutely punctate, 4.4-4.8 x 5.5-6.3ju. 

 7144. On the ground in mixed woods, Sept. 26, 1923. Spores oval, minutely warted, 3.8-4.2 x4.4-5.4ji, 



all with a short pedicel. 

 Also Nos. 501, 553, 588, 7150. 



Asheville. Beardslce. 



