19^0] The Lower Basidiomycetes of North Carolina 163 



2. Dacrymyces aurantius (Sehw.) Farlow. 

 I), chrysospenniis B. & C. 



Plates 23, 48 and 63 



Plants formino- compact, rounded, brain-like, complicated masses, 

 the surface grooved and folded through the compacting of the partly 

 separated components ; surface slimy when very wet. Color deep orange 

 all over except where it fades into the white base which extends into 

 the substratum as a kind of tough root. Flesh tough, sub-gelatinous, 

 color of surface, translucent ; tasteless and odorless. 



Spores (of No. 3500) deep orange, curved-elliptic (sausage- 

 shaped), smooth, 7-9-celled, the great majority 8-celled before sprout- 

 ing, 5.5-7 X 18-22.5jM. Basidia slender, with two long forks. 



The orange color becomes more red in the dried plants, and this 

 character, together with the large size and the tough, white, radicat- 

 ing, usually flattened base, distinguishes this easily from related 

 species except Ditiola radicata, which see for distinctions. It is com- 

 mon with us on corticated pine wood, the root extending through 

 the bark and flattening against the wood. 



Farlow 's description of a plant he took to be T. aiirantia Sehw. 

 agrees with ours. He finds the spores to be 5.5-7.5 x 20-25)u,, four- to 

 eight-celled (Appalachia 3:248. 1883), Mr. Lloyd seems to 

 have changed his opinion as to the species as he has seen my 

 plants and agrees with my determination although he has illustrated 

 something entirely different as this species (Mye. Notes Old Sp. Ser, 

 N. 1 Al. 1908). He thinks our plant does not grow in Europe. 



I find in the Schweinitz Herbarium fortunately' an ade- 

 quate bit of this still in the original envelope, unmounted 

 (on a mounted part the Dacrymyces has almost wholly 

 disappeared). The spores are just like those of our plant 

 and unlike those of any other. They are 6.2-7.4 x 18-21/x, mostly 

 8-celled. In the Curtis Herbarium is an even better collection from 

 Schweinitz (Bethlehem) under the name T. aurantia. It is certainly 

 like ours, with abundant spores which are large, 8-celled, curved, 

 6.2-7.2 X 16.5-23ju. That D. chrijsospcrmus B. & C. is also the same 

 is thought most probable by Dr. Farlow, and the plants distributed by 

 Ravenel (No. 466) as I). clirifsosperDius are like T. aurantia. Under 

 the name f). chrusosp/riii ks in tin- ('iirtis Ilcrbai'luiii is a collection 



