IOWA DISCOMYCETES 109 



yellow, thin and membranaceous; asci and spores as in the pre- 

 ceding. 



The plants are very similar in every respect to the preceding 

 except that the color is golden-yellow instead of flesh-red as in 

 that species. The spores of the two species are so minute that 

 they are studied with difficulty. 



FAMILY 9. PATELLARIACE.E. 



Plants either superficial on the surface of the substratum or at 

 first immersed becoming erumpent, for the most part leathery 

 or hard, dark colored, black, hemispherical or hysteriform, then 

 expanded becoming elliptical or circular in outline; asci 8- to 

 many-spored; spores globose, elliptical or elongated and filiform, 

 1- to many-septate, hyaline or colored. 



The plants of this family are dark in color resembling in this 

 respect those of the Pyrenomycetes. The family also grades into 

 the lichens so that it is difficult to draw any fast line between the 

 two groups. 



PATELLARIA Fries, Syst. Orbis. Veg. 113. 1825. 



Apothecia for the most part, sessile, and never immersed, 

 black, often bluish with transmitted light, rounded, or linear; 

 asci clavate, thick-walled. 4- to 8-spored; spores fusoid, often 

 larger at one end becoming clavate, straight or bent 3- to 

 many-septate, 2-seriate, hyaline; paraphyses branched, forming 

 an epithecium. 



When the genus Patellaria was established by Fries Patellar ia 

 atrata (Hedw.) was designated as the type of the genus, the 

 species being a hyaline-spored form, but notwithstanding this 

 fact that species has been taken out of this genus and placed in 

 the genus Lecanidion by recent writers. The genus Patellaria 

 as treated by Saccardo in Syll. Fung, is represented by the col- 

 ored-spored forms. If the genus as founded by Fries is valid it 

 should contain the hyaline-spored species and the brown-spored 

 forms should be placed in the genus Mycolecidea founded by 

 Karst. 



Two species ; one very common in the state. 



