KEY TO THE MOEE IMPORTANT GENERA OF GASTEROMYCETEAE 563 



Columella unbranched, percurrent to the apex. North America. 



Rhopalogaster 

 Family Hydnangiaceae. 



Spores ovoid to fusiform, with longitudinal furrows. Europe. Chamonixia 

 Spores spherical, spiny, laticiferous vessels wanting. Europe. Hydnangium 

 Spores spherical or oblong, spiny or verrucose, laticiferous vessels present. 

 Europe, North America, South America. Arcangeliella 



Family Melanogastraceae. 



Gleba not clearly chambered, basidia in nests between sterile veins. Africa. 



Corditubera 

 Gleba with numerous cavities which become filled with hyphae or gelatinous 

 substance. 

 Without stipe. 



Chambers loosely filled with hyphae among which the basidia are placed, 



spores roughened. North Africa. Chondrogaster 



Chambers formed by enlarged cells which then gelatinize. On hyphae 

 traversing the chambers clusters of basidia arise. Spores smooth. 

 North America. Alpova 



Basidia forming an irregular hymenium surrounding the hymenial cavities 

 filled with loose hyphae or gelatine. 

 Spores ellipsoidal, brown. Europe and North America. Melanogaster 

 Spores spherical, almost colorless. Europe and North America. 



Leucogaster 

 With stipe at maturity, the exoperidium remaining as a basal volva and as 

 shreds on the sporocarp which is hemispherical, and concave 

 below. Relationship uncertain. Torrendia 



Family Secotiaceae. 



Fleshy. Development pseudoangiocarpic. Spores hyaline or light-colored, spiny 

 or reticulate. 

 Numerous groups of pseudoparenchymatous cells in the tissues. Cystidia 



present. Europe and North America. Elasmomyces 



Groups of pseudoparenchymatous cells wanting. South Africa. 



Macowanites 

 Firm, stipe almost woody. Development angiocarpic. Gleba chambers more or 

 less radially elongated, sometimes lamelloid. Spores colored at 

 maturity. 

 Lower edge of the peridium pulling loose from the stipe, leaving no volva 

 (at least not conspicuous), cystidia often present. World-wide in 

 its distribution. Secotium 



Lower edge of peridium pulling loose, leaving a distinct annulus but no volva. 



Western United States. Longula 



Lower edge of slender conical peridium pulling loose and leaving a cortina, 

 but no annulus or volva. Spores resembling those of Galerula and 

 Bolbitius. Europe, Asia, United States. Galeropsis 



Peridium opening circumscissilely, leaving a large volva. Europe, Africa, 

 North and South America, Asia. Gyrophragmium 



(including Polyplocium) 

 Peridium leaving a large volva, persisting on the pileus only as a small central 

 patch beyond which the slender radial glebal lamellae project. 

 No distinct annulus. Europe, Africa, North America, Australasia. 



Montagnea 

 {Montagnites) 



