REPORT OF THE STATE BOTANIST I908 35 



spores white, oblong or ellipsoid, .00035-.0005 of an inch long, 

 .00024-0003 broad. 



Dry gravelly soil near clumps of lamb kill, Kalmia angus- 

 t i f o 1 i a L. South Acton, Mass. October. S. Davis and G. E. 

 Morris. 



Allied to Clavaria ligula Fr. from which it may be 

 separated by its smaller size, pallescent color externally and lemon- 

 yellow color within, glabrous pale yellow stem and its broader 

 spores. It is apparently a rare species. 



Clava simplex, laxe caespitosa vel aliquando gregaria, in alti- 

 tudine uncialis, clavata, obtusa, plerumque teres, mollis, fragilis, 

 farcta cavave, ochroleuca, pallescens, intus citrina ; stipes distinctus, 

 brevis (2-4 mm) citrinus; sporae albae, obloiigae vel ellipsoideae, 

 6-8 X 9-12 At. 



Galera besseyi 



PLATE V, FIG. 15-20 



Pileus thin, ovate or oval, rarely subglobose, obtuse, glabrous, 

 never expanding, isabelline or pale dingy ochraceous, the margin 

 abruptly contracted and closely embracing the stem ; lamellae thin, 

 close, ascending, adnate, ferruginous brown; stem slender, slightly 

 Hexuous, hollow, glabrous, even or slightly striate, colored like the 

 pileus ; spores broadly ellipsoid, .00055-.00065 of an inch long, 

 .C034-.0005 broad. 



Pileus 2.5-6 lines long, 2-5 lines broad; stem 1-2 inches long, 

 .5-1 lino thick. 



Sandy soil. Garden of the Gods, El Paso co.. Col. August 

 1908. C. E. Bessey and E. A. Bessey. 



This is a well marked and readily recognized species, having 

 two very peculiar and interesting characters. The permanently 

 closed pileus and the abruptly contracted amplexicaul margin are 

 features not found in any other known species. The persistently 

 clasping margin, surrounding the top of the stem like a sheath, 

 5-trongly emphasizes the generic character, " inargin at first straight, 

 appressed to the stem." Being an inhabitant of an arid region we 

 may suppose the persistently ck)se(l pileus to be a character de- 

 signed to promote the conservation of moisture in the pileus till 

 the spores can be fully developed. That it is not due in this 

 instance to an unusually dry season and therefore an unusual 

 occurrence may be inferred from tlie fact that rain had preceded 

 the discuverv but a short time, for water was seen in the surface 



