1920] The Lower Basidiomycetes of North Carolina 169 



Spores (of No. 3926) pale yellow, curved, divided into (mostly) 

 four cells, 4-6.6 x 11.1-14.8/i,. Basidia as usual. 



In No. 3941 some of ithe plants were very young and when just 

 bursting through were covered over by a white flocculent coat through 

 which they burst at the top or at times carried up for a while as a 

 little white cap-patch. This we have noticed elsewhere only in D. in- 

 volutus. In No. 3926 the jilants after reaching full size collapsed in 

 at the top and looked a good deal like small Pezizas, a rupture occurred 

 in the firmer outer part, the margins of which turned inward and 

 downward, leaving a crater into the softer part within. This is a 

 character assigned to D. chrjjsocoDius and this is what usually passes 

 for that species and which it may in fact be. 



There is no doubt that this is Peck's species, the description and 

 the t.ype agreeing in all particulars. Peck gives the spores as 5 x 

 12.7-1 5. 2/x (my measurements from part of type kindly sent by Dr. 

 House are 3.8-4.5 x 10.5-13/x). They also seem to agree quite well with 

 plants collected at Asheville by Beardslee and referred by Lloyd to 

 D. hyalinus (Myc. Notes 58:828. 1919). Beardslee writes me that 

 his plants also grew on decorticated, deciduous wood. The species 

 differs from D. Ellisii in smaller size, absence of an obvious root, dif- 

 ferent color (at least when dry), white coat when just appearing (?), 

 and spore cells more swollen when sprouting. Dried plants of D. 

 ))Uiwr look like minute drops of brownish amber and are almost in- 

 visible without a lens, while those of D. Ellisii are reddish, larger, and 

 more conspicuous. It is more than probable that this is the true D. 

 deliquescens. Lloyd has seen our plants and refers them to that 

 species, and from Bulliard's description and figure there is no reason 

 to conclude that it grows on coniferous wood. The assumption is 

 rather to the contrary as he warns against confusing it with droplets 

 of sap found on certain deciduous trees mentioned. Fries considered 

 his D. tortus, which grows on coniferous wood, the same as D. deliques- 

 cens, and there is nnich confusion in Europe in regard to the latter 

 species, which is usually said to grow on coniferous or on both conifer- 

 ous and deciduous wood. For examjile iM. Patouillard who has had 

 tlic kindness to give me liis conccplion of D. deliquescens and to send 

 me a gf)od specimen from his herbarium, writes as follows: "Almost 

 everybody indicates this sjiecies only on conifers. But one meets it 

 also on every sort of rotten wood." On examination we find this 

 specimen 1o agree in all essentials with onr I), minor. Bresadola is 



