200 The North American Cup-Fungi 



pi. 11, f. 3; Freeman,- Minn. PI. Diseases/. 61-62; Minn. Bot. 

 Studies 4: pi. 16; Nees & Henry, Syst. Pilze pi. 20, f. 1-4 (as 

 Microcrater); Schr. Nat. Ges. Leipzig 1: pi. l,f. 7-11. 



ExsiccATi: N. Am. Fungi 982; Fungi Columb. 1890; Rab.- 

 Winter, Fungi Eu. 2968; Rav. Fungi Am. Exsicc. 633; Rav. 

 Fungi Car. 1 : 39; Rehm, Ascom. 2002. 



Common and conspicuous in woods in early spring. 



2. Urnula Geaster Peck, Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 46: 39. 



1893. (Plate 22.) 

 Chorioactis Geaster Bull. Torrey Club 29: 142. 1902. 



Apothecia at first elongated and closed or nearly closed at 

 the top, reaching a diameter of 5 cm. and a depth of 10 cm., 

 opening by several transverse fissures and finally splitting 

 Geaster-\\ke into 3-6 rays, the clefts extending nearly to the 

 base of the apothecium, externally clothed with a dense covering 

 of brownish tomentum, reaching a diameter of 10-12 cm. when 

 expanded, substance tough and leathery, soft and spongy when 

 dry; hymenium at first white or whitish, becoming yellowish 

 with age; stem 1-2 cm. in diameter, and reaching a length of 

 1-3 cm., similar in color to the outside of the apothecium; hairs 

 straight or bent and twisted into various forms, reaching a 

 diameter of 8 /x and of nearly uniform thickness throughout 

 their entire length, rather thin-walled, sparingly septate, deeply 

 colored and minutely roughened on their outer surface, blunt 

 at their apices, variable in length; asci cylindric or subcylindric, 

 reaching a length of 600-700 ^ and a diameter of 20-23 m; spores 

 1-seriate, fusoid, often unequal-sided, hyaline or subhyaline, 

 12-16 X 50-70^1; paraphyses strongly thickened above. 



Attached to sticks of Ulmiis crassifolia on the ground. 



Type locality: Austin, Texas. 



Distribution: Texas. 



Illustration: Bot. Gaz. 49: 184, /. 1; 185, f. 2; 186, f. 3 



and pi. 12. 



Excluded Species 



Urnula terrestris (Niessl) Sacc. Syll. Fung. 8: 550. 1889; Podophacidium 

 terrestre Niessl in Rab. Fungi Eu. 1152. 1868; Phacidium terrestre Phill. 

 Grevillea 18: 86. 1890. While this species has been placed in the genus 

 Urnula by Saccardo, examination of cotype material gives no indication that 

 the asci are operculate as is true of other species of the genus Urnula. The 

 genus Podophacidium was founded by Niessl on this species and the genus 

 has been placed in the Phacidiaceae, a family of inoperculate ascomycetes 

 where it doubtless belongs. North American specimens collected by Dr. B. 

 O. Dodge in Wisconsin have been examined. 



