18 The North American Cup-Fungi 



Paraphyses hyaline, or only slightly purplish tinted at 

 the tips. 

 Asci and paraphyses agglutinated at the tips into a 

 conspicuous, vinous-brown epithecium. 

 Paraphyses clavate to pyriform, thickened at the 



tips. 1. C. piirpiirascens. 



Paraphrases not or only very slightly thickened 



at the tips. 2. C. alropiirpureus. 



Epithecium lacking or inconspicuous; ascophores 

 robust; paraphyses slightly clavate-thickened and 

 more or less curved at the tips. 3. C. rohtistus. 



Paraphyses conspicuously brown. 4. C. arenaritis. 



1. Corynetes purpurascens (Pers.) Durand, Ann. Myc. 6: 413. 

 1908. 



?Clavaria mitrata Holmsk. Coryph. 21. 1790. 



Geoglossum purpurascens Pers. in Holmsk. Coryph. 171. 1797. 



Leotia atropurpiirea Corda, Ic. Fung. 5: 79. 1842. 



Geoglossum atropurpureum Cooke, Mycographia 10. 1875. (Not Pers.) 



Microglossum atropurpureum Sacc. Syll. Fung. 8: 40. 1889. 



Thuemenidium atropurpureum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 2: 873. 1891. 



Mitrula purpurascens Massee, Ann. Bot. 11: 266. 1897. 



Ascophores solitary, or cespitose, 3-6 cm. high, every part 

 with a distinct purpHsh-brown tint when fresh, blackish when 

 dry, the crushed flesh vinous-brown; ascigerous portion irregular, 

 clavate, sometimes lobed or forked at the apex, more or less 

 compressed, 1-2 cm. long, up to 1 cm, broad, occupying about 

 one-third to one-half the total length; stem cylindric, minutely 

 squamulose; asci clavate, apex narrowed but rounded, pore blue 

 with iodine, reaching a length of 105-120 ^ and a diameter of 

 10-12 /i, 8-spored; spores 2-seriate, hyaline, smooth, cylindric, 

 slightly narrowed from the middle to the rounded ends, straight, 

 or curved, at first simple, then multiguttulate, finally 6-septate, 

 5-6 X 20-37 M (20-30) ; paraphyses filiform, hyaline, 3 n thick, 

 the apices straight and abruptly obovate-pyriform thickened, 

 8-10 /i thick, agglutinated with amorphous matter to form a 

 vinous-brown epithecium. 



On the ground or humus. 



Type locality: Europe. 



Distribution: Maine and New York; also in Europe. 



Illustrations: Corda, Ic. Fung. 5: pi. 9,f. 71; Cooke, My- 

 cographia pi. 4 J. 16; Ann. Bot. 11: pL 12, f. 27; Ann. Myc. 6: 

 pi. 6,f. 36-39. 



