94 THE MYXOMYCETES 



Sporangia gregarious, cylindrical or elongate-cyathiform, stipitate, 

 dark violet-red, the apex slightly roughened by pale calcareous gran- 

 ules, the peridium longitudinally wrinkled below; dehiscence irregularly 

 circumscissile; stipe darker, one-half the height of the sporangium, 

 longitudinally wrinkled; capillitium dense, abundantly calcareous; 

 spores violet-brown, minutely roughened, 8-9 jx. 



In form resembling the following species, but instantly distinguished 

 by the color, which is red throughout, tinged with purple or violet. 

 The capillitium is badhamioid, as noted by Dr. Rex. Very distinct 

 from Physarum newtoni in color, form, habit, epispore, etc. 



Iowa, Louisiana, Paraguay, Brazil. 



2. Craterium aureum (Schum.) Rost. 



Mon. 124. 1875. 

 PI. VI, Figs. 131, 132; PI. XXI, Figs. 570, 571. 



1803. Trichia aurea Schum., Enum. PI. Saell. 2 : 207. 



1829. Craterium mutabile Fries, Syst. Myc. 3 : 154, non Symb. Gast. 19, 1818. 



1844. Cupularia mutabilis (Fr.) Rabenh., Deutsch. Krypt.-Fl. 1 : 271. 



Sporangia gregarious, globose or obovoid, 0.4-0.6 mm. in diameter, 

 stipitate, golden yellow, erect, the peridial wall thin, especially at the 

 summit, where at maturity it breaks up somewhat reticulately, leav- 

 ing the persistent lower portion with an uneven margin above which 

 projects the pale yellow capillitium; stipe short, orange or brownish 

 red, arising from a small hypothallus; capillitium dense, yellow, the 

 nodules not large, irregular, tending to form a pseudocolumella in the 

 center of the cup; spores minutely war ted, violaceous brown, 8-10 fx. 



Fries regarded this, which he called C. mutabile, the most distinctly 

 marked species of the genus; chiefly, as it appears, on account of the 

 bright yellow color. This, however, varies. Some specimens before us 

 are gray, showing only a trace of yellow below. In some European 

 specimens a reddish tinge prevails. The form of the sporangium also 

 varies. In typical specimens, unopened, the shape is almost pyriform; 

 opened, we have a cylindric, oftenest lemon-yellow vase, mounted on 

 a short striate stalk. But again, from the same plasmodium, we may 

 have globose sporangia, opening so as to leave only a shallow, salver- 

 shaped base. In this case the stipe is also longer. The plasmodium is 

 said to be "clear lemon yellow" (Massee). 



There seems little doubt that Schumacher had in mind the present 

 species in his Trichia aurea. Rostafinski shows that Fries' synonym, 

 C. mutabile, is founded on a mistake. The earlier specific name is there- 

 fore on Rostafinski's authority adopted. 



Not common. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Caro- 



