KEY TO THE FAMILIES AND IMPORTANT GENERA 251 



Apothecia pileate, subglobose or columnar, pileus always supported by a distinct 

 stem, never cup-shaped or discoid. 



Family Helvellaceae 

 Pileus costate, the ribs anastomosing to form irregular pits. 

 Sterile stem and fertile head distinct. Morchella 



Fertile part extending to the base, the ascocarp forming a more or less de- 

 pressed globose structure. Daleomyces {Durandiomyces) 

 Upper side of the pileus smooth or lacunose but not truly costate. 

 Pileus bell-shaped. Verpa 

 Pileus saddle-shaped or irregularly subglobose. 



Helvella 

 Pileus gyrosely convolute (perhaps to be included in Helvella). 



Gyromitra 

 Pileus columnar. Underwoodia 



Key to the Families and Important Genera of Order Pezizales, 

 Suborder Inoperculatae 



(Based upon Nannfeldt, 1932, with additions) 



Apothecia numerous, opening at the surface of a tuberoid fleshy stroma growing on 

 the living twigs of Nothofagus. South America and Australasia. 



Family Cyttariaceae 

 Single genus. Cyttaria 



Apothecia not buried in a tuberoid fleshy stroma. 



Asci cylindrical, the apical thickening hemispherical, with a long slender canal. 

 Ascospores hyaline, thread-like, often septate and falling apart 

 into cylindrical cells. Saprophytes. Apothecia sessile, or stalked 

 (Vibrissea), or immersed and somewhat perithecium-like. 

 (Order Ostropales of Nannfeldt.) 



Family Ostropaceae 

 Apothecium-like. 



Stalked with convex hymenium. Vibrissea 



Not stalked, superficial. Apostemidium 



Not stalked, emerging from within the substratum. Paraphyses little if 



at all branched. Stictis 



Not stalked, emerging from wdthin the substratum. Paraphyses much 

 branched, forming a strong epithecium. 



Schizoxylon 

 Perithecium-like, buried in the substratum. 



With short conical neck. Ostropa 



With long, upright or horizontal, then upcurved, neck. 



Robergea 

 Asci clavate to ovoid, apex not thickened or only slightly so. Ascospores 

 spherical to oblong or needle-shaped, never elongated, thread- 

 like, and falling apart into segments (but see some genera of 

 Family Geoglossaceae). 

 Hypothecium and underlying tissues pseudoparenchymatous. 



Apothecia in an often lens-shaped, externally almost black, often carbo- 

 naceous stroma. Excipulum weakly developed. Ascospores 

 oblong to needle-shaped. Family Phacidiaceae 



Apothecia single in each stroma, more or less round, opening mostly by 

 stellate lobes. 



