KEY TO THE FAMILIES AND IMPORTANT GENERA 249 



Key to the Families and Important Genera of Order Pezizales, 



Suborder Operculatae 



(Based in part on Seaver, 1928) 



Apothecia cup-shaped or discoid, sometimes convex, sessile or stipitate, never 

 with a pileate structure. Family Pezizaceae 



Ascospores globose, hyaline to pale brown. Tribe Sphaerosporeae 



Plants growing only on the dung of animals, mature ascospores becoming 



pale brown to blackish. Ascodesmis 



Plants not restricted to dung. 

 Apothecia with well-developed bristles or flexuous hairs. 

 Apothecia red, brown, or greenish, soft and fleshy or waxy, 



Sphaerospora 

 Apothecia black, brownish, or orange, tough or cartilaginous, mostly 

 stipitate. Pseudopledania 



Apothecia not clothed with well-developed hairs. 



Apothecia everted to form subglobose ascocarps clothed externally with 

 the hymenium, somewhat cartilaginous. 



Sphaerosoma 

 Apothecia discoid to convex, with the hymenium limited to the upper 

 surface and sides; fleshy or waxy. 

 On the ground or on humus, hymenium strongly convex. 



Boudiera 

 On the ground or on humus, plane or sUghtly convex. 



Lamprospora 

 On living or dead foliage of Conifers, tough. 



Pithya 

 Ascospores ellipsoid to fusoid, rarely subglobose, becoming violet, later brown 

 or blackish. Tribe Ascoboleae 



Spores free in the ascus. Ascobolus 



Spores united into a ball in the ascus. Saccobolus 



Ascospores ellipsoid to fusoid, hyaline or pale brown. 

 Ascospores becoming reticulate at maturity. 



Tribe Aleurieae 

 Apothecia clothed with colored hairs. Melastiza 



Apothecia without colored hairs, hymenium bright orange. 



Aleuria 

 Apothecia without colored hairs, hymenium dark brown. 



Aleurina 

 Ascospores smooth or sculptured, but never reticulate. 



Apothecia small, up to 1 cm. in diameter, not conspicuously hairy or 

 setose. Tribe Humarieae 



Apothecia attached to the substratum clear to their edges, mostly on 



wood. Psilopezia 



Apothecia attached to the substratum by the center only, mostly on 

 soil or humus or dung of animals. 

 Vegetative mycelium superficial, mostly only on burnt places. 



Pyronenia 

 Vegetative mycelium immersed in the substratum. 

 Asci 8-spored, apothecia fleshy, coprophilous. 



Ascophanus 



