268 White : The Niuulariaceae of North America 



sericeo, dense tomentoso, margine integro, crasso, 3-5 mm. alto, 

 4-5 mm. lato, intus albo-flavescente ; sporangiolis innumeris, 

 lentiformibus, planis, tenue tunicatis, cinnamomeis, sericeis, 1-1.2 

 mm. diametro ; sporis ellipsoideis, obtusis, intus granulatis, hyalinis, 

 ^-8.5 X 4- 5-5. 5 /^, episporio hyaline, tenui, levi. 



California: Potter Valley. On decaying wood (Sept. 1894). 

 Purpus. 



The original description is quoted, as no specimens of this 

 species were seen, and until more material has been collected it is 

 difficult to decide with any degree of certainty just where it 

 belongs. The author adds that this species appears to be related 

 to Cyathia pallida. 



II. Crucibulum Tul. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. i: 89. 1844 



Peridium composed of a single, homogeneous, though some- 

 times layered, felt-like membrane, which is at first continuous over 

 the mouth, forming a sort of epiphragm ; sporangioles more nu- 

 merous than in the preceding genus, and the funiculus is much less 

 complex, consisting of a little bundle of elastic filaments gathered 

 closely together in a very thin, hardly noticeable outer covering, the 

 upper end of which is attached to a nipple-like protuberance on 

 the under surface of the sporangiole, and the lower end is attached 

 to the inner wall of the peridium ; there are no filaments intermixed 

 with the spores. 



Although the genus Cnicibtilum \Nd.s not founded until 1844, 

 for nearly a century and a half plants belonging to it have been 

 known and unmistakably figured. Ray* in 1696, in a list of 

 plants collected by D. Samuel Doody, mentions " Fungus seminifer 

 minor," which he figured in 1724.! Micheli, five years later, gave 

 a good figure of Crucibuluui cnicibulifornie. As early as 1697 

 Boccone % figured this plant, under the name of " Fungus ar.epiiaxtac, 

 calyculatus," but does not seem to give it more than this passing 

 notice. Gleditsch,§ Schaeffer,]] Scopoli,! Hudson,** Hoffmanft 

 and others made mention of this plant, under various names, but 



*Syn. 333. 1696. [Ed. 2.] 



t Ray, Syn. 20. //. /./. 2 b, c. 1724. [Ed. 3.] 



% Mus. Fis. //. 301. f. I. 1697. 



gMeth. Fung. 138..//. 4. 1753. 



II Fung. Bav. et Palat. Icon. 2 : pi. i-jg. 1761 ; 4 : 125. 1774. 



\y\ox. Carn. 2: 486. 1772. [Ed. 2.] 



**Flor. Ang. 2 : 634. 1778. [Ed. 2.] 



ft Vegt. Crypt, fasc. 2: 29.//. 8. f. i. 1790. 



