go NATUEAL HISTORY BULLETIN 



*Saccobolus kerverni (Crouan) Boud., Ann. Sci. Nat., V. 

 10: 229. 1869. 



Plate 28, f. n. 



Ascobolus kerverni Crouan, Ann. Sci. Nat. IV. 10 : 193. 1858. 



Saccobolus violaceus Boud., Ann. Sci. Nat., V. 10 : 230. 1869. 

 Ascobolus violascens Gill., Champ. France, 141. 1888. 



Plants scattered or gregarious, minute, 1 to 2 mm. in diameter, 

 smooth, soft, violet; hymenium convex of the same color as the 

 exterior; asci broad more slender near the base, operculate, 8- 

 spored; spores elliptical, subacute, at first hyaline, becoming 

 violet to blackish, smooth, 15 by 9/x, enclosed in a common hya- 

 line membrane; paraphyses violet, pyriform at the apex. 



On cow-dung, Iowa City and Mt. Pleasant, rather common. 



This species is very distinct from the preceding in the gen- 

 eral color of the plants which are violet instead of golden-yellow, 

 also the spores are a little smaller and darker. Several collec- 

 tions of the plants of this species have been made in Iowa by 

 the writer. 



FAMILY 7. HELOTIACE^E. 



Plants for the most part superficial, more rarely erumpent or 

 produced from a sclerotium, sessile or stipitate, smooth or hairy ; 

 substance waxy or membranous or stout, composed of thin- 

 walled, bright colored cells which form a pseudoparenchyma ; 

 cups at first closed, gradually becoming expanded ; asci 8-spored. 

 opening with a pore ; spores globose to filiform, 1-8-cclled. 



SARCOSYPHA Fries, Sacc. Syll. Fung. 8 : 153. 1889. 



Sarcoscypha Fries (as tribe), Syst. Myc. 2: 78. 1822. 

 Sarcoscypha Cooke (as subgenus), Myeogr. 258. 



Plants generally gregarious or tufted, more or less long-stipi- 

 tate, receptacle generally cup-shaped becoming nearly plane in 

 some cases, externally hairy; asci cylindrical, 8-spored; spores 

 elliptical, usually smooth, hyaline, 1 to 2-guttulate; paraphyses 



