Lycogala 221 



1. Lycogala flavo-fuscum (Ehrenb.) Rost. Versuch 3. 1873. 



Diphtherium flavo-fuscum Ehrenb. Sylv. Myc. Berol. 27. 1818. 

 Lycogala repletum Morg. Jour. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist. 18: 40. 1895. 



Plasmodium white or pale pink (Lister). Aethalia usually 

 solitary, occasionally in groups up to five, sessile, rounded, or 

 piriform and short-stalked, 2 to 7 cm. diam., glossy, ochraceous or 

 pale purplish brown, minutely areolate; cortex thick, of three 

 layers; outer layer membranous, composed of interwoven barren 

 sporangia; middle layer consisting of several layers of vesicles 

 with ochraceous granular contents, 50-80 ^ diam., bounded on 

 the inner side by a network of tubes containing air; inner layer a 

 pale brown, homogeneous membrane pierced by these tubes. 

 Stalk a slender, colorless, more or less cylindrical strand of hypo- 

 thallus, 1 to 2 cm. long. Pseudo-capillitium consisting of ir- 

 regularly branching and anastomosing tubes, nearly colorless, 

 smooth or somewhat wrinkled and papillose, 6-20 m diam., with 

 numerous wide expansions at the axils and with free, rounded 

 ends. Spores in mass pale bufif, when magnified colorless, min- 

 utely reticulate over the greater part of the surface, 5-6 fj, diam. 



Type locality: Germany. 



Habitat: On dead wood. 



Distribution: Widely distributed over the United States and 

 Canada, but not common. 



Illustration: Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 3. pi. 155. 



The aethalia may be expected at any time during the season, 

 and in any place, but have the curious habit of not reappearing 

 after that for years, so that collections in a particular area are apt 

 to be rare. The plasmodium wanders, and the developments are 

 sometimes on living trees up to fifteen feet above the ground. It 

 may form a single aethalium, or several, or divide and form sepa- 

 rated aethalia a few feet apart. The aethalia resemble the com- 

 mon puff-ball, but do not form the large colonies of the latter, nor 

 is the peridium as tough. Occasionally large vesicles are seen 

 among the spores. 



2. Lycogala epidendrum (L.) Fries, Syst. Myc. 3: 80. 1829. 

 Lycoperdon epidendrum L. Sp. Plant. 1184. 1753. 



Plasmodium coral-red, rarely white, cream-colored, or yellow 

 (Lister). Aethalia crowded or scattered, sessile, subglobose, 3 to 

 15 mm. diam., pinkish gray, yellowish brown, olive-brown, or 



