126 The North American Cup-Fungi 



diameter of 12-15 jjl, giving rise above to palisade-like fascicles 

 of club-shaped mycelial threads; asci rather broad-clavate, reach- 

 ing a length of 200 /x and a diameter of 20-25 /j., 8-spored; spores 

 at first quite regularly 2-seriate, becoming irregularly disposed, 

 ellipsoid, hyaline, smooth or very minutely sculptured, 10-12 

 X 17-20 /x; spore-sculpturing consisting of minute granules; 

 paraphyses slightly enlarged above, reaching a diameter of 7- 

 8 ^i at their apices, filled with orange granules. 



On old building paper, sacking, cloth, twine, leather, and on 

 weathered fibers of Yucca leaves. 



Type locality: Europe. 



Distribution: Massachusetts to New Jersey, Louisiana and 

 North Dakota; also in Europe. 



Illustrations: Phill. Brit. Discom. pi. 9, f. 58; Ann. Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. III. 15: pi. 14 J. 5; Bull. Lab. Nat. Hist. State Univ. 

 Iowa 6: pi. 27, f. 1. 



On morphological characters it is difficult, if not impossible, 

 to .separate this species from Ascophanus carneus, its nearest 

 coprophilous relative. In fact, Massee treats this species as a 

 variety of the latter. While some workers seem to see a difference 

 in spore measurements, such a difference is scarcely apparent so 

 far as our observations go. 



The habitat of this species is unique. The persistence with 

 which it occurs on cloth, string, and building paper is interesting. 

 It was first encountered by the writer early in his studies on the 

 Discomycetes at Lafayette, Indiana, where it was found in 

 abundance on old burlap sacking, the search for it having been 

 prompted by Phillips' illustration of the species in his British 

 Discomycetes. About the same time it was found on old rag 

 carpet at Pocahontas, Iowa. In 1905 it was found in abundance 

 around Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, on old paper and sacking, and in 

 1907 on a similar habitat in Fargo, North Dakota. In 1913 

 it was collected at Portland, Connecticut, on old paper, twine 

 and sacking. 



In 1916, a fine collection was made at Yonkers, New York, 

 on decaying paper and the surrounding soil in a dumping ground. 

 This collection showed unusually large spores, measuring 16-18 

 X 28-30 /x, and was listed as a new variety under the name 

 Humarina testacea macrospora. The spores in this form were 

 decidedly rough. 



Further study is necessary in order to determine whether 



