Elvela 



245 



Doubtful Species 



Verpa atroalha Fries, Syst. Myc. 2: 23. 1822. A specimen referred to 

 this name was collected at Jamesville, New York, May 17, 1890. The 

 specimen is identical with Verpa conica. No authentic specimen of Fries' 

 species has been seen and its identity is therefore uncertain. 



Verpa perpusilla Rehm, Ann. Myc. 7: 526. 1909. Specimens of this 

 species distributed by Rehm in his Ascomycetes 1857 appear to be identical 

 with Elvela elastica Bull. 



4. ELVELA L.Sp. PI. 1180. 1753. (Often written Helvella.) 



Gyromitra Fries, Summa \'eg. Scand. 346. 1849. 

 Leptopodia Bond. Bull. Soc. Myc. Fr. 1: 99. 1885. 

 Physomitra Bond. Hist. Class. Discern. Eu. ?>$. 1907. 



Pileus mitrate, saddle-shaped or subglobose, even or irregu- 

 larly convolute, the convolutions often taking the form of 

 gyrose ridges, the margin refle.xed and free or more or less adnate 

 to the stem; stem very slender or stout, even, lacunose, or strongly 

 fluted, white, yellow, or smoky; asci cylindric or subcylindric, 

 8-spored; spores 1- or 2-seriate, ellipsoid, often apiculate, smooth 

 or rough ; paraphyses slender, more or less enlarged above. 



Type species, Elvela Mitra L. 



Stem distinctly fluted, i.e. with sharp-cornered ridges 



which extend almost the entire length of the 



stem. 



Stem stout and usually strongly swollen at the 



base. 



Pileus becoming dark-colored and stem 



smoky. 

 Pileus and stem remaining light-colored, 

 almost white. 

 Stem very slender and of nearly uniform thick- 

 ness. 

 Stem not distinctly fluted but even or irregularly 

 lacunose. 

 Stem very slender, rarely exceeding 5 mm. in 

 diameter. 

 Pileus and stem entirely black. 

 Pileus and stem not entirely black. 

 Pileus entirely free from the stem. 

 Stem very long. 

 Stem very short. 

 Pileus adnate to the stem. 

 Stem stout, usually 1 to several cm. in diameter. 

 Spores ellipsoid to fusoid. 



Spores small, smooth, not exceeding 20- 

 24 yu long. 



1. 



E. Mitra. 

 E. 



cnspa. 

 3. E. palustris. 



4. E. atra. 



5. E. elastica. 



6. E. Klotzschiana. 



7. E. adhaerens. 



