138 The North American Cup-Fungi 



This fungus was found to be rather abundant on the fallen 

 leaves of its host. However, the cups are often so small and, 

 even when expanded, so nearly like the substratum in color that 

 very close search is necessary to find them. 



40. Helotium castaneum Sacc. & Ellis; Sacc. Michelia 2: 572. 

 1882. 



Apothecia thickly gregarious, on dead areas on the leaves of 

 the host, occurring on the under side of the leaf, minute, brown, 

 or reddish-brown with a slightly darker exterior, subsessile, 

 scutellate, reaching a diameter of .25 mm.; asci short, stout, 

 reaching a length of 40-50 /x and a diameter of 12-14 fi; spores 

 2-seriate, or irregularly disposed, ellipsoid, 3-4 X 11-14 /x, 

 densely granular within ; paraphyses slender. 



On leaves of Qiiercus lanrifolia and Rhododendron maximinn. 



Type locality: Gree Cove Springs, Florida. 



Distribution : Florida and West Virginia. 



ExsiCCATi: Ellis, N. Am. Fungi 994. 



The spores are described as 1 -septate. The writer does not 

 find them so. Specimen on Rhododendron appears to be identical. 



41. Helotium destructor Peck; White, Mycologia 34: 163. 1942. 



Peziza suhcarnea Cooke & Peck; Cooke, Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Sci. 2: 295. 



1875. Not Peziza subcarnea Schum. 1803. 

 Phialea subcarnea Sacc. Syll. Fung. 8: 265. 1889. 

 Hymenoscyphus subcarneus Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 3^: 486. 1889. 



Apothecia minute, stipitate, scarcely visible to the unaided 

 eye, solitary, or gregarious and occasionally rather numerous, 

 reaching an extreme diameter of .5 mm. but often much smaller, 

 gradually expanding and becoming subglobose; stem relatively 

 long, reaching a length of .3 to .5 mm., slender and slightly 

 broadened at the junction with the cup; hymenium similar in 

 color to the outside of the apothecium, at maturity concave with 

 upturned margin; asci clavate, reaching a length of 40-50 ju and 

 a diameter of 5-6 n, 8-spored ; spores clavate, 2-seriate, the nar- 

 row end directed downward, 2-2.5 X 4.5-6 n; paraphyses simple, 

 or occasionally branched, scarcely enlarged above, 3-3.5 fx in 

 diameter. 



Growing on and apparently killing various species of liver- 

 worts and mosses: Jiingermania sp. (type) and Dicranum 

 flagellar e. 



