May 1907] The Phalloideae oj Texas 109 



sufficiently for the entire pileus to emerge and so a large part — 

 more than half in some cases — of the pileus and often all the 

 gleba was torn ofif and remained in the volva. 



Some of the eggs that remained in the incubator for three or 

 four weeks before expanding had the lower part of the stipe, 

 especially the portion remaining in the volva, stained with the 

 purplish hue of the volva. This was noticeably true of plants 

 from small eggs, which apparently were not fully matured when 

 collected. These eggs opened, but did not make large plants, 

 and the bases of the stipes and the inner cup adjacent to the 

 stipe were stained by the purple juice from the volva. 



It was on immature and depauperate specimens of this plant 

 that Cragin founded "Phallus purpuratus." Here is a description 

 made from plants hatched from the same lot of eggs as the 

 normal P. impudicus, only the eggs were small and apparently 

 immature. A comparison of this description with Cragin's will 

 show that the plants are identical. Eggs globose, i^ to i^inches, 

 smooth or wrinkled, firm or somewhat soft, of a purple-pink 

 color, portion of plant exterior to volva about 2 inches, stipe of 

 a spongy-cellular appearance, equal or fusiform, of 3-several lay- 

 ers of chambers thick, inner chambers largest, portion of stipe en- 

 closed in volva suffused with pink, also inner portion of volva or 

 cup in which the base of stipe rests, a deeper pink ; stipe 3 in. 

 tall by |-inch thick, pileus pitted and reticulate about if -inch tall, 

 conic-campanulate. The eggs from which this description was 

 drawn were collected November 25 and opened December 26. 



There is no doubt that Cragin's plant is only an immature 

 and depauperate form of P. impudicus var. imperialis, caused by 

 cold weather, for the plant on which his description was based 

 was collected in October ; in Kansas this would be after cold, 

 frosty weather had come. 



In eggs that stand for several weeks before opening, the 

 jelly becomes watery and shrink in size, until the outer region 

 of the volva lies against the unexpanded stipe and pileus, while 

 the lower half of the volva being firmer and not so gelatinous, 

 holds its shape and size. Eggs under such conditions look much 

 like an acorn in its cup. This was noticed of other species of 

 Phalloids also. It was probably such an immature specimen as 

 this that Mr. Lloyd speaks of in his Mycological Notes. Among 

 the 100 or more plants that expanded from the eggs were several 

 with the margin of the pileus sterile for ^ to ^ inch and more or 

 less strongly crinkled to sinuate-dentate ; this form would cor- 

 respond to Phallus iosmos Burt, while P. roseus would be a 

 larger form of P. purpuratus and probably due to the same 

 causes. None of these seem to deserve even a variety rank. 



Phallus ruhicundus Bosc. (Figs. 5-8). — Eggs white, soli 

 tary or in groups of 2-6 individuals from a common mycelium, 

 when in groups usually one large plant surrounded by small 



