106 THE GASTEROMYCETES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 



Geaster triplex Jung. 



G. Michelianus W. G. Smith 



Plates 63 and 115 



Plants large, pointed before opening, the point up to 12 mm. long, the inner perid- 

 ium subspherical, up to 2.7 cm. thick, quite sessile, gray-brown when fresh, becoming 

 reddish brown with age; mouth fibrillose and becoming lacerated, surrounded by a more 

 or less definitely outlined, broadly conical area which may or may not be paler. Outer 

 peridium splitting into 6-8 segments with long acuminate tips which expand or become 

 revolute under the convex, flat or less often arched base; fleshy layer thick, in our plants 

 mostly remaining intact as a moderately thick, reddish brown, cracked crust on the 

 fibrous layer, the central region in some plants breaking loose from the part on the rays 

 to form a broad collar or cup around the inner peridium; outer layer usually nearly free 

 of dirt or trash, but with a few small particles sticking to any part, firm, glabrous, dull 

 yellowish, mostly adnate, but cracking into radial strips or irregular areas; mycelium 

 basal and leaving a scar at point of attachment when the plant is lifted ; button supposed 

 normally to be sunk in the substratum, but its surface does not hold the trash as in G. 

 fimbriates, G. rufescens, G. fornicatus, and most other subterranean species (for rare 

 exception see note under Alabama entry below). Columella about 1 cm. long, clavate, 

 and persistent. 



Spores (of No. 5886) deep smoky brown, distinctly warted, spherical, 3.7-4.4/u, 

 most about 3.9/t thick. Capillitium threads unbranched, about 5,u, up to 6/j thick, 

 not sinuous, concolorous with the spores. 



Geaster lageniformis, as suggested by Morgan (see Lloyd, The Geastrae, p. 38), 

 is a small form of G. triplex. The cracked surface, definite mouth, pointed button, and 

 spores are all the same. A typical-looking plant of G. lageniformis from London, 

 Canada (N. Y. Bot. Gard., labelled G. saccatus), has spores distinctly verrucose, 

 3.5-4.2yu. Another from the same place and in the same herbarium is Ellis & Ev., 

 N. Am. Fungi, No. 2735 (as G. triplex). Our plants are like the G. triplex of Thiimen's 

 Mycotheca Universalis No. 1410 from Holland, which has spores distinctly papillate, 

 3.6-4.2,u. Plants from Hungary at the New York Botanical Garden correctly labelled 

 G. lageniformis are the same, with spores verrucose, 3.4-4/* thick. Similar plants from 

 Hungary also labelled G. lageniformis are in the Herbarium of the Museum of Paris. 

 Another example from Charlottenburg in the same herbarium (P. Sydow, coll., as G. 

 fimbriatus) has spores distinctly verrucose, 3. 7-4.5yit. In American herbaria one often 

 finds under G. lageniformis plants that we are referring to G. saccatus, northern form. 



Illustrations: Clements. Minnesota Mushrooms, fig. 89. 



Cunningham. Trans. N. Z. Inst. 57: pi. 11, figs. 35, 36. 



Cunningham. Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. 51: pi. 2, figs. 3, 4. 



Destree. I.e., pi. 9, fig. A. 



De Toni. I.e., pi. 63, fig. C. 



Hard. Mushrooms, pi. 66. 



Hollos. I.e., pi. 11, figs. 1-6 (these figs., if correct, represent a very coarse form); pi. 29, fig. 17. 



Lloyd. The Geastrae, figs. 47^9. Also pi. 94, figs. 1-5. 



Massee. Ann. Bot. 4: pi. 1, fig. 27 (as G. Michelianus). 



Micheli. Nova Plant. Gen., pi. 100, fig. 1. 



Morgan. Amer. Nat. 18: fig. 2. 1884. 



Illustrations of the form G. lageniformis: 



Hollos. I.e., pi. 10, figs. 13 and 14. Figs. 11 and 12 more nearly represent what we are calling 



G. triplex. 

 Lloyd. The Geastrae, figs. 76 and 77. 



