180 THE GASTEROMYCETES OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA 



Spores hyaline, round to short-oval, very large and varying greatly in size, 24-35 x 

 28-48^, some with very thick walls, 3-4/1 thick. 



The extremely large average size of the spores of this species is supposed to dis- 

 tinguish it from others of its group, and in our collection as well as in the type they do 

 run larger than in C. stercoreus. The average length of ten spores of our No. 23 measured 

 as one came to them was 34^, while ten of C. stercoreus measured in the same way was 



24.9m- 



The types in the Schweinitz Herbarium are a good lot of 16 plants densely set 

 together, shape and appearance about as in C. stercoreus. The only egg well seen was 

 smooth and black; spores subspherical to oval, 20-31 x 26-38^, which is very little 

 larger than in C. stercoreus. Miss White gives the spores of the type as 45-55 x 18-45/*. 

 Lloyd considers the species as a synonym of C. stercoreus and says he "can find no differ- 

 ence in the general size of the spores from the type material of C. stercoreus and C. 

 melanospermus. While in the latter there are many large spores, there are also small 

 ones and some we note measure not over 20 mic." The distinctly fimbriate mouth in 

 our No. 23 is probably of no specific importance, and in the type the mouth is smooth 

 or slightly fimbriate. While we retain the species at present, Lloyd is probably right 

 in regarding it as a form of C. stercoreus. 



Illustrations: White. Bull. Ton. Bot. Club 29: pi. IS, figs. 1-4. 1902. 



23. On soil and old male cones under pine trees, fall of 1908. 



Asheville. Beardslee. 



Pennsylvania. Bethlehem. (Schw. Herb., types, and Curtis Herb, from Schw. Herb.) 



Cyathus verrucosus De Candolle 

 Cyathus olla (Batsch) Pers. 

 Cyathia lentifera (L.) White 

 Nidularia fascicularia Schw. 



Plates 100 and 122 



Cups long, goblet-shaped, or bell-shaped, 8-12 mm. high by 7-10 mm. broad at 

 the moderately or widely flaring mouth. Outer surface when young tomentose spongy 

 with appressed hairs, becoming nearly smooth in age; color when young brown to 

 tawny, later becoming paler (grayish brown to dull gray) ; inner surface even, smooth, 

 dark grayish brown to silvery brown. Mouth even, flaring, incurved and depressed 

 when young. Peridioles large, disc-shaped, averaging about 2-3 mm. in diameter, 

 about 0.5 mm. thick in center, concave above, convex below, attached to the cup by 

 large, strong, whitish funiculi. 



Spores (of No. 1688) hyaline, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 5-7.4 x 8.6-12/j. 



Wall of the peridium composed as usual of a dark outer region of three parts: a 

 surface layer (tunica?) about 20/u thick and composed of light brown filaments, mostly 

 collapsed; a loose median area of many cavities and scattered, nearly hyaline, thick- 

 walled filaments and numerous granules; an inner black layer about 37 n thick, composed 

 of dark brown, thick-walled, densely packed threads and numerous granules. The 

 pale, sclerotic, horny layer beneath is of the usual structure. 



