Trichia 231 



proposed as distinct species. T. iowensis is unworthy even of 

 varietal rank. It is based on the presence of scattered, long 

 spines, but such spines are found occasionally on the elaters of 

 the typical form, the var. inconspicua, and forms with lime on the 

 peridium ; the lime is not a specific character. T. Macbridei, from 

 Oregon, reported by the author as collected in mid-winter, is 

 apparently a phase of T. contorta with a combination of cold 

 weather irregularities. A collection personally made at Mountain 

 Lake, Virginia, in September, at an altitude of 4100 feet, has no 

 capillitium, but there are spore-like bodies with short appendages 

 that are spirally wound. The elaters of T. contorta are often 

 branched. Forms in which the elaters are combined into a net- 

 work are usually placed for convenience in the genus Hemitrichia 

 as H. Karstenii. T. lutescens is closely related to T. contorta, but 

 without granular deposits in the sporangial wall. 



8. Trichia alpina (R. E. Fries) Meylan, Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sc. Nat. 

 53:460. 1921. 



Trichia contorta (Ditm.) Rost. var. alpina R. E. Fries, Arkiv Bot. 6 (7): 5. 



1906. 

 Trichia cascadensis Gilb.; Peck & Gilb. Am. Jour. Bot. 19: 145. 1932. 



Plasmodium rich orange-red (Lister). Sporangia scattered or 

 clustered, sessile, subglobose or forming long, straight or curved 

 plasmodiocarps, 0.5 to 0.7 mm. diam., purple-black or black; 

 sporangial wall cartilaginous, of two layers, the inner translucent 

 olive or yellow, the outer chestnut or olive-brown, thickened 

 externalh' with dense deposits of granular matter. Capillitium 

 of bright yellow elaters 4-6 n wide, marked with two to six regular 

 or rugged and sometimes spinose spiral bands, and with shortly 

 tapering pointed or truncate ends. Spores bright yellow in mass, 

 globose or ovoid, minutely warted, 13-20 /x diam. 



Type locality: Sweden. 



Habitat: On dead wood, twigs, leaves, and stems. 



Distribution: Maine, New Hampshire, Ontario, *Oregon, 

 * Washington. 



Illustration: Lister, Mycetozoa ed. 3, pi. 162, figs, c, d. 



As seen from the description, and from Swiss and American 

 gatherings, this species is very variable in the characters of the 

 capillitium and spores, retaining, however, the rather large size 

 and black color of the sporangia and plasmodiocarps, with the 

 heavy deposits of dark granular matter. A specimen collected 



