

LYCOPERDACEAE 139 



Florida. Eldorado. Underwood, coll. (X. Y. B. G. Herb.). 



Also collection by Mrs. Sams. (N. Y. B. G. Herb, from Lloyd). 

 Ohio. Sandusky. Schaffner, coll. (N. Y. B. G. Herb.). 

 Ontario. Point Abino. Cook and Underwood, coll. (N. Y. B. G. Herb.). 

 Reported from Dakota and Colorado. 

 Abo from South America in the Xew York Bot. Gard. Herb. 



DISCISEDA Czern. 



Fruit bodies growing just beneath the surface or partially exposed; outer peridium 

 thickish and volva-like, composed of two layers, an outer of loosely interwoven white 

 threads which grow around and enclose many particles of sand and trash and a much 

 thicker inner layer which is watery and subtranslucent when fresh and composed of 

 large, thin-walled, parenchyma cells which dry up and collapse at maturity to form a 

 thin coat on the inside of the outer peridium, the lower part of the outer peridium split- 

 ing awav at maturity and remaining in the ground, the upper part with the thin, firm, 

 inner peridium attached, breaking away and becoming free; inner peridium opening by a 

 small basal mouth to liberate the spores, which are spherical and warted. Gleba 

 composed of very minute, irregular, anastomosing chambers which are separated by 

 clusters of basidia and a very little trama; basidia much as in Lycoperdon, with four 

 slender sterigmata; capillitium threads extending inward from the inner peridium, 

 sparingly septate and slightly branched, at maturity breaking up into small sections. 

 Subgleba none. 



Up to the present the internal structure of this genus has not been known, so that 

 its proper position in the system was obscure. It is now apparent, it seems to us, that 

 the genus is a highly specialized member of the Lycoperdaceae. The best evidence to 

 this effect are the basidia, which are obviously of the Lycoperdon and Bovista type and 

 quite different from the Astraeus and Calostoma type. Moreover, while the chambers 

 are very small and the hymenium poorly defined, there is an obvious resemblance to the 

 Lycoperdaceae in these characters also. 



Three species are known from the southeastern states. Several others are known 

 from the West. Lloyd extends the genus to include several species without the peculiar 

 dehiscence and inverted mouth (Myc. Notes, p. 121, pis. 6 and 7; Myc. Notes, p. 1167). 



A new genus, Abstoma, has been established by Cunningham (Lycoperdaceae, 

 etc., p. 206) to cover a single endemic species from New Zealand. It is very near 

 Disciseda, differing from it essentially only in the absence of a definite mouth, both 

 peridia wearing away gradually from the attrition of wind-blown sand, etc. 



Key to the Species 



Spores without a pedicel, or rarely with a short one 



Spores 3.6-5,* thick D - Candida 



Spores 5.5-9.5,1 thick D. subterranea 



Spores with a pedicel up to 12.5m long or rarely longer D. pedicellata 



Disciseda Candida (Schw.) Lloyd 



Disciseda circumscissa (B. & C.) Hollos 



Bovista circumscissa B. & C. 



Calastoma circumscissum (B. & C.) Morgan 



Plates 31, 78,79, 99 and 118 



Plants single or cespitose, compressed globose, with a single rhizomorph-like root 

 when young and fresh; 0.5-2 cm. thick, 2-3.5 cm. wide before maturation; 0.8-1.5 x 



