252 White : The Nidulariaceae of North America 



sisting through the winter months. They grow on manure, sticks, 

 shavings, dried herbaceous plants, and Cntcibiilnvi cnicibidiforme is 

 frequently found on old pieces of sacking. On a certain old 

 board walk at Lakevvood, N. J., this last species was found by the 

 hundred growing in regular series between the joints of the boards. 

 A further study of the plants will probably show that they are far 

 more common and widely distributed than is at present thought, 

 for they are likely to escape detection owing to their small size 

 and inconspicuous coloring,. 



The order Nidulariales comprises but one family, the Nidula- 

 riaceae. Until quite recently this family was considered by De 

 Toni * and others to include the genera Cyatlms, Crucibiihtin, 

 Nididaria, Thdcbolus, Dacryobohis, Sphaerobolus, Polyangmm and 

 Atractobolus, the last two included as doubtful genera. Fries t in- 

 cluded besides the three first mentioned genera, /^;-^,f/i!;/z(?;/Schwein. 

 Myriococciim Fries, and Polyangmm Link. The two latter genera 

 are certainly out of place here, Myriococciim belonging under the 

 Perisporiales,! and Polyangium is not mentioned by either Sac- 

 cardo or Fischer. In Fischer's revision of the family in 1899, 

 he places Arachnion Schwein.§ under "Doubtful Genera" in the 

 Sclerodermataceae ; for Sphaerobolus Tode he establishes a sepa- 

 rate family ; Thclcbolus is placed under the Ascobolaceae, and 

 Dacryobohis and Atractobolus are included in the same family but 

 as doubtful genera. 



This leaves only the three genera, Cyathus (for which there is an 

 earlier form of the name, Cyathia) Crucibulum, and Nididaria, in this 

 family. Concerning the last genus a question already raised by Otto 

 Kuntze presents itself in regard to the correct name, since Roth's 

 GranulariaW antedates Fries and ^ox^\\o\m s> Kididaria\ by over 

 a quarter of a century. Roth's description and figure of Granu- 

 laria pisiformis place this genus on a certain footing, and there can 

 be no hesitation in answering the above question. Recently some 



*Saccardo, Syll. Fung. 7 : 2S. 1887. 



fSyst. Myc. 2 : 296. 1822. 



+ Saccardo, Syll. Fung, i : 29. 18S2. 



\ Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenzenfam. i'-** : 339. 1899. 



|| Ust. Ann. Bot. 1 : 6. //. /./. i. I79I. 



\ Syn. Gast. 2. 1817-18. 



