1920] The Lower Basidiomycetes of North Carolina 115 



branched or more often branched 



like a coral or bush or tree Clavariaceae 



Texture fleshy; plant mushroom- 

 shaped or trumpet-shaped ; hy- 

 menium borne on the under siile 

 and often slightly wrinkled CratcrcUus" 



Hymenium borne on pendant teeth (if 



gelatinous see Tremellodon) Hyclnaceac 



Hymenium borne in pores, or if gill- 

 "like (Lentinus) then the plant is very 

 tough, dry and corky Poh/poraceae 



Hymenium borne on gills; plant more or 

 "less soft and fleshy Agaricaceae 



2. Gasteromycetes: Hymenium enclosed until maturity inside the plant body 

 and not breaking out at all (as in the puff balls) or exposed at maturity 

 by being elevated on a stalk (as in the phalloids) ; in one family forming 

 a nest-like cup containing ' ' eggs ' ' at maturity. 

 Plant body more or less spherical or pear- 

 shaped, sometimes stalked, opening at one or 

 more places or wearing away to expose the 



spore mass .' Lycoperdaceae 



Plant body breaking from an egg-like case at 

 maturity and forming a delicate, more or 

 less porous stem, which bears at its tip a 

 smooth or folded or complicated or divided 

 structure which supports the slimy and bad- 

 smelling hymenium FliaUaceae 



Plant body small, forming a sessile or stalked 

 cup which opens at maturity to expose a 

 group of egg-like bodies Avithin Nidulariaceae 



AECIDIACEAE 



111 the most recent nioiiojiraph of the tnie rusts or Urediuales by 

 Arthur (N. Am. Flora 7:88. 1907) the order is divided into three 

 families, the Coleosporiaceae, tlie I^redinaceae and the Aeeidiaceae. 

 Of these the last family is by far the most important eeonomieally and 

 contains some of the most serious diseases of fruits and farm crops. 

 Till' lunnber of species is so larg-e and the life history so complicated 

 by a number of spore forms and an alternation of two srenerations, 

 often on different hosts, tluit a study of tlie rusts is now almost a 

 subject in itself. Tliis eoiiiph'xily, to<i'(»th('r wirii their ('coiKimic im- 

 portance, has resulted in the ])roduction of a very larj^e literature to 

 which one may be <iuided by any of the recent te.xt books on Plant 

 Diseases, such as I)uj:<iar's Finif/iis Diseases of I'hntfs and Stevens' 

 Fi(iif/i which ('(tusr I'htiit Disrttsrs. 



The destructive rusts of <i-rains, trasses and clovers cause a loss 

 of millions of dollars in the Tniled States yearly. To tliem are closely 



•Treated in the .\K:iric.iceae. See this .b)iiriial 36: ,U. 1'>1''. 



