16 The Botanical Gazette. [January 



which becomes manifest in the light of a more extended 

 knowledge of existing forms. 



In enumerating the American species of these two genera, 

 the writer has therefore restricted Rhopalomyces as above 

 defined, referring to Oedocephalum those species which are 

 characterized by the presence of fertile hyphae nearly ap- 

 proaching the sterile in size or at least not supplied with 

 rhizoid-like basal outgrowths for support, and as a rule, dis- 

 tinctly septate. 



The forms at present recorded from this country appear to 

 be confined to two species, Rhopalomyces cuciirbitarwn Rav. 

 and R. cervinus Cke. In Europe, however, the number described 

 is considerable, although the identification of many of them is 

 beset by the difficulties which are usually associated with 

 wretched figures, or diagnoses without measurements or men- 

 tion of allied species for purposes of comparison. Since it is 

 often somewhat difficult to form any opinion concerning them 

 from the description alone, a brief synopsis of all described 

 forms is here appended, which may perhaps be found of value 

 in this connection : 



Oedocephalum Preuss. 

 Oedocephalum glomerulosum (Bull.) Sacc. Plate IV, fig. I. 



Oedocephalum glomerulosum Saccardo, Sylloge Fungorum, Vol. IV., p. 47- 

 Costantin : Les Mucedinees Simples, p. 39, fig. 6. Berlese, Fungi Moricoli, 

 III., N. 2, fig. 1-5. 



Mucor glomerulosus Bulliard : Herbier d. 1. France, PI. 504, fig. 3. 



Haplotrichum glomerulosum Harz : Einige Neue Hyphomyceten Berlin's und 

 Wien's, p. 120, Taf. 1, fig. 1. Saccardo : Fungi Italici, PI. 804. 



Haplotrichum roseum Corda : Prachtflora, p. 23, Taf. XI. Icones Fung. II., 

 Taf. 2, fig. 28. 



Varying in color from nearly white to rose colored or yel- 

 lowish. Sterile hyphae creeping, much branched and septate, 

 about (>/* in diam. Fertile hyphae erect, solitary, tapering 

 slightly upwards, septate, 8-9/4 in diam. 200-350/1 in height. 

 Sporiferous heads spherical to obovoid, 35-50x25-45//: av- 

 erage 30X.38/*; often distinctly areolate. Spores oblong to 

 obovoid, slightly pointed at the base and broader at the distal 

 end, 9x18/1, maximum 10x30//. 



On old paper, decaying vegetable matter, dung of various 

 animals. Massachusetts, Connecticut. 



This species occurs very commonly on a great variety of 

 substrata and is often troublesome in laboratory cultures. 



