1923] The Gasteromycetes of North Carolina 233 



Tulasne, L. R. Fungi Hypogsei. Histoire et monographie des champignons 



Hypoges. Paris, 1851. 

 Vittadini. Monographia Tuberacearum. Mediolani, 1831. 

 Vittadini. Monographia Lycoperdineorum. Mem. Accad., Torino, 5 : 145, pis. 1-3. 



1843. 

 Vittadini. Monographia Lycoperdineorum. Ann. Sci. Nat., 2nd. ser., 19: 277. 



1843. 

 Winter. Gasteromycetes. In Rabenhorst 's Krypt.-Fl. Deutsch. 1, Abtl. 1: 864. 



1884. 

 Zopf. Die Pilze, p. 362. 1890. 



Key to the Families 



Plants emerging at maturity from a soft volva or ' ' egg ; " the spores borne in a 

 slimy, brown, bad-smelling liquid at the top of a stalk or net or several 



columns PhalJoidece 



Not as above 



Plants with a distinct firm or gelatinous stalk which carries the spore-bearing 

 sac, the latter in our representatives having a distinct apical mouth through 

 which the spores escape as a dry powder. 



Stalk firm and fibrous ; mouth not red Tylostomace(B 



Stalk gelatinous ; mouth red CaJostomacece 



Plants without a distinct, terete or gelatinous stalk; if a stalk is present it is 

 thick and expands gradually into the swollen spore-bearing part above. 

 Plants small, shaped like cups or tumblers or subspherical, at maturity 

 opening in most of the species over the entire top by the collapse of 

 a veil (or rarely by the crumbling of the peridium) to expose a 

 number of small peridioles with hard coats which contain the spores, 

 the whole looking like a little nest containing eggs. In ono genus 

 of minute plants an outer peridium opens and an inner peridium 

 evaginates itself with a snap and throws out for some distance a 



single, minute, black peridiole NiduIariacecB 



Not as above 



Peridium without a distinct outer layer that falls away or 

 splits; at maturity opening at the top by irregular lobes, or 

 by an irregular tear, or by crumbling or rotting away. Elon- 

 gated threads (capillitium) not present among the spores. 

 Gleba not formed of hollow chambers, but of sterile 

 plates cutting out irregular blocks which are stuffed 

 with the fertile tissue; at maturity crumbling into a 



dusty powder Sclerodermatacece 



Gleba formed of hollow chambers (at least when young) 

 which are lined with the hymeniunv 



Peridium rotting away after maturity, the gleba 

 (at least in species we are treating) turning into 

 a slimy mass Byrne no gastracex 



