LVC0PERDAC1 \l 109 



more brownish tint and with a universal flocculent covering that holds earth tightly as in 

 G. rufescens. In fact, the appearance is very much that of rufescens except for the black- 

 ish and more glabrous spore sac and more definite mouth. It is beautifully shown in 

 Hussey's Illustrations, pi. 2. Good plants from Hollos in the Farlow Herbarium and 

 from Massee (determined by Berkeley) in the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium 

 are alike. The former has spores which are distinctly warted, 4-5. 2/i thick, and with 

 which those of the latter agree (4.2-5.5^). Another plant from Massee (Chiselhurst) 

 so labelled is the same. Plants from Germany (Berlin; Magnus, coll.) labelled G. 

 rufescens by the collector are also the same: nearly black, mouth distinct. The outer 

 surface of this blackish plant of Northern Europe is quite different from that of our 

 plant, and it does not peel off. Neither Hollos nor any other European author mentions 

 the separation of the outer layer in limbatus. The spores as given by Hollos are 4-5, 

 often 6/i thick, which is too large for our plant. Geaster pseudo-limbatus is represented 

 from Hollos in Lloyd's Herbarium and apparently does not agree with either idea of 

 limbatus discussed above. 



Illustrations: Fries, Th. C. E. Sveriges Gasteromyceter, fig. 29 (spores). 

 Lloyd. The Geastrae, figs. 44 and 45. 



New York. Syracuse. Oct. 1888. Underwood, coll. (N. Y. Bot. Gard. Herb; also a small form as 



C. Schae fieri). 

 Massachusetts. South Hadley. 1888. Hooker, coll. (N. Y. Bot. Gard. Herb.). 

 Kansas. Bartholomew, coll. (N. Y. Bot. Gard. Herb., Xo. 2215; U. N. C. Herb., No. 8252). Spores 



of Xo. 8252 are 3.4-4 M thick. 

 Wisconsin. Burlington. (Univ. Wis. Herb, and U. N. C. Herb.) 

 Minnesota. Miss Hone, coll. (N. Y. Bot. Gard. Herb, and Lloyd Herb.). Spores dark, distinctly 



warted, 3.5— 1.2m, most about 4ju. 

 Colorado. Brandegee, coll. (N. Y. Bot. Gard. Herb.). 

 Canada. Macoun, coll. (N. Y. Bot. Gard. Herb.). 



London. Dearness, coll. (U. N. C. Herb.). Spores 3.6-4.2m- 



Geaster Morganii Lloyd 



Plate 115 



Button broadly bulb-shaped with a short to rather long point (up to 6 mm.), 

 yellowish, the base flat; mycelial attachment from a central basal point, the surface 

 nearly or quite clean, buffy alutaceous, dull, felted to minutely spongy; rays about 

 7-10, taper-pointed, pliable, the outer layer tending to crack and peel off in irregular 

 flakes (more separable than in typical triplex or lageniformis) ; fleshy layer dark brown 

 to blackish, cracking and at times forming a collar as in G. triplex; spore sac sessile, sub- 

 spherical, usually compressed when dry, minutely granular-felted, wearing glabrous, 

 brown ; peristome rather vaguely outlined, forming a narrowly conical papilla (typically) 

 with the sides crumpled toward the top or almost all over, forming a pseudo-sulcate 

 peristome with lacerated tip. 



Spores (of a plant from Ohio; Underwood, coll.) spherical, distinctly warted, 3.4—i.ln 

 thick. Capillitium threads wavy, up to ly. thick. 



The plant seems common in the middle west, less so elsewhere. We know of no 

 record for the southern states, but there is in the Curtis Herbarium a plant from Ala- 

 bama (Peters, No. 198) as G. saccatus that we believe to be this species. The mouth 

 is very long and narrow and not at all like triplex, but is not crumpled. Lloyd mentions 

 such a mouth as occurring. The nearest relative seems G. triplex, which differs in even 



