UEl'OKT OF THE STATE BOTANIST I917 



COLLYBIA CAMPANELLA PECK, AND ITS NEAR RELA- 

 TIVES IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES 



BY GEORGE F. ATKINSON 



This interesting species was described by Peck in 1907 (N. Y. 

 Mus. Bui. 116, p. 19) from specimens collected by him on dead 

 twigs of the arbor vitae, or white cedar (Thuja occiden- 

 tal is) in a swamp at Horicon, Warren county, N. Y. (July 20, 

 1905). The plants were apparently not fully grown nor quite 

 mature, as spores^ were not described by Peck. Several collections 

 of the species have since been made on the same host : in Ontario, 

 Canada, March 1906, by C Guillett, reported as Collybia 

 s t i p i t a r i a c a m p a n u 1 a t a Peck (name only)" ; at Hongh- 

 ton, Mich., August 17, 1906, C. H. Kaufmann, no. 522, and by H. D. 

 House in a cedar swamp at Jordanville, Herkimer county, N. Y., 

 June 23, 1917, and at Pecksport, Madison county, July 12, 1918. 

 It was also collected by Doctor Peck on branches of the American 

 yew (Tax us canadensis) at Indian Lake, in July 1901. 



In the original description the pileus is described as " conic or 

 campanulate," and all the other collections mentioned above were 

 collected at the same stage of development, except those by House 

 at Jordanville. In this collection nearly all the plants were full 

 grown, the pileus fully expanded, some of the plants being much 

 larger than any in the other collections above referred to, the larger 

 ones reaching 5 cm high, with the pileus 18 mm broad. 



It appears that the validity of this species has been questioned 

 in certain quarters. In the North American Flora (9: 374. 1916), 

 Murrill states that it belongs to the genus Crinipellis. Later, in 

 the treatment of Crinipellis, he does not include it as a distinct 

 species, nor does he list the name as a svnonym under any of the 

 species recognized from North America. But the description given 

 under Crinipellis scabella appears to be drawn in such 

 terms as to include Collybia campanella. 



In view of this situation Doctor House recently sent me all the 

 collections of Collybia campanella and C . s t i p i - 

 t a r i a in the herbarium of the New York State Museum, 

 requesting my opinion and later a critical note on the situation. 



1 In the examination of the type material I have found a few spores. 

 G. F. A. 

 3 Ottawa Naturalist, 23 : 59-^0- 1907- 



