North American Fungi. . 141 



NORTH AMERICAN FUNGI.* 



By a. p. Morgan. 

 (Read by title, Dec. 4., 1888.) 



THE GASTROMYCETES. 

 Fructification arising from a simple filamentous or from 

 a compound mycelium, comprising essentially a closed sac or 

 PERIDIUM inclosing the hymenial structure called the gleba ; 

 hymenium lining or filling the chambers or cells of the gleba, 

 consisting of numerous closely-packed branches of the hyphae 

 forming the basidia and paraphysis; basidia producing 

 laterally or at the apex one to several spores, sessile or borne 

 on sterigmata ; spores spherical or elliptic, continuous, 

 hyaline or colored. 



*The following letter to a member of the Publishing Committee 

 is printed by permission of the writer : 



Preston, Hamilton Co., O., December 29, 1888. 

 Mr. Davis L. James : 



Dear Sir — Along with this I send you the manuscript of the article on 

 Phalloidece. You will perceive by the title and by the contents that it is 

 Tnore am^iitious in plan than the preceding papers. The remaining classes of 

 Fungi are better known, and the specimens are more easily preserved and 

 accumulated than the Hymenomycetes. Hence, I think, papers covering the 

 whole field of our country, so far as at present investigated, will be far 

 more acceptable. The Gastromycetes will occupy about three such papers 

 as the present; possibly, the next two may fill a little more space. 



The next paper will be on the Lycoperdacea ; it is now under way and 

 partly done. I will try and have it ready for the April number, unless the 

 space is wanted for other matter. 



The new .«pecies we had taken for Mutinus caninus, until the publication 

 lately, in Grevillea, of a figure and description of that species, showing it 

 clearly to be a different thing. It was at first supposed to be Corynitfs 

 Ravenelii, B. & C, but the figure and description of this species show a 

 much smaller plant with a different form 



No sytstematic paper on the Gastromycetes has ever before been attempted 

 in this country. The only essays hitherto attempted have been two papers. 



