80 HARPER: TWO REMARKABLE DISCOMYCETES 
Forms within the groups offer a most fruitful field for ecological 
and comparative study. Most of the groups of large discomycetes, 
such as the Verpa, Cudonia, Leotia, and Geoglossum glutinosum 
groups, appear in a variety of forms. In some groups the forms 
are very abundant and variable. Boudier has named and given 
beautiful illustrations of twenty-three forms in the Morchella 
esculenta group, offering a fine opportunity for students to com- 
pare other Morchella esculenta floras with that of France. Durand 
lists seven forms in the Geoglossum glabrum group. Underwoodia 
is so rare that its variation is little known, though it may have 
had a bloom period at some time in the past. 
But while the kinship and variation of Underwoodia are un- 
known it possesses a striking combination of characters found 
singly in other groups. Most of these characters are more highly 
developed than in other groups where they occur and this gives to 
Underwoodia a unique position and a special interest. I can only 
briefly compare the most striking characters and do it without 
implying any close kinship between Underwoodia and the groups 
in which similar characters are found. 
The cancellated stem of Underwoodia is more highly developed 
than in any other discomycete. It contrasts strongly with the 
hollow stems of species of Morchella and the solid stems of the 
Geoglossaceae. The character is found in the Acetabula vulgaris 
and the Helvella crispa groups, but the stems in these groups are 
deeply sulcate as well as cancellate, the cavities are much less 
regular and the walls of the cavities as far as I have examined 
them are not covered with a regular palisade layer. The stems 
of species of Morchella often have a few cavities near the base. 
They are very markedly developed in the specimen of Gyromitra 
gigas illustrated by Boudier (Icon. Mycol. pl. 221. 1904). Such 
cavities are not lined with a palisade layer of hyphae. 
Many discomycetes have lacunae and cavities in the stem. An 
interesting case for comparison with Underwoodia was identified for 
me by Durand as Lachnea (or Macropodia) semitosta. The stem 
bears a close resemblance to that of Underwoodia. There area few 
sulcations on the outside, but the walls of the cavities are not 
lined with such a regular palisade layer. Macropodia semitosta is 
remarkable in the development of the cancellated stem. Note the 
