1920] The Lower Basidiomycetes of North Carolina 177 



cap up to 1-2 cm. broad, the outside or sterile side continuing the 

 surface and color of the stalk, the inner or fertile face smooth, glab- 

 rous and very dark blackish-brown (when dr^-). Basidia with two long- 

 prongs each about 3.8/x thick at base. Spores elliptic, somewhat bent, 

 four-celled, 4.5-6.3 x 11.5-16/x. The plant is very different from 

 G. spathularia and is easily distinguished by it colors and spores. It 

 is known from New York to Brazil, and in the United States is, in 

 the opinion of Lloyd, probably confined to elm. Lloyd also thinks that 

 it is the same as G. hiformls Pk., G. hicolor Pk. and G. juriilensis 

 Hennings. See Myc. Notes 58 :825, fig. 1378. 1919. 



Low and upper districts on trunks and logs. Curtis. 



Guepinia spathularia (Schw.) Fr. 



Plates 23, 51 axd 64 



This is a small, upright, spathulate plant with a distinct stalk 

 which is simple or more or less branched and furrowed ; growing in 

 lines and clusters from dead, deciduous wood ; height about 0.5-2 cm. ; 

 width about 2-5 mm. at the flattened spathulate or petal-like tip ; stalk 

 distinct, up to 1.5 cm. long, flattened above, rounded below, running 

 tlirough cracks in the l)ark down to the wood, base scurfy tomentose, 

 the tomentum becoming finer upward and extending onto the sterile 

 side of the expanded cap as a very fine pulverulence. Hymenium or- 

 ange-yellow, rugose wrinkled longitudinally like a Cantharellus, con- 

 fined to one side of the flattened upper part and distinctly delimited 

 from the stem ; sterile surface as deeply colored as the In-menium when 

 damp, but becomiiig a light yellow or cream color when drj-, the hy- 

 menium remaining orange; stalk brownish-yellow above, darker brown 

 below; texture of entire plant tough, firm, subgelatinous. 



Spores (of No. 3892) smooth, orange-yellow, elliptic, curved, 3.8- 

 4.5 X 7.4-9.5;li, sprouting to form small, spherical conidia on short 

 stalks, dividing into two cells before sprouting. Basidia long and 

 deeply bipartite. 



Not rare on logs and crossties of deciduous wood and on pine and 

 cedar. On long soaking or exjiosui-e to rain the plants become faded to 

 a pale amber or straw color. Tlie size and form of this species are 

 very variable. We have some on i)ine and cedar that are simply 

 swollen above into a kind of rugose club with one side sterile (see 

 Pl. 23, fig. 14) and fi'oin this form lliei-e arc variations uj) to an ex- 



