DEVELOPMENT OF THE FRUIT-BODY OF A NEW PARA- 

 SITIC RHIZOPOGON* 



By H. R. ToTTEN 

 Plates 1-7 



The very remarkable plant described here was first found by us 

 on the roots of Pinus echinata and Pinus taeda in the winter of 1920. 

 A short report of it was made before the meeting of the North Caro- 

 lina Academy of Science, May 1, 1920 (14). Since that time it has 

 been under rather constant observation, and fruit-bodies have been 

 found from late summer through the winter. The plant is small and 

 inconspicuous, the fruit-body rarely reaching a diameter of 1.5 cm., 

 yet it shows an interesting case of parasitism and a hitherto unknown 

 method in the development of the fruit-body in a Gasteromycete. 

 Fischer (4) has described the formation of the chambers in Rhizo- 

 pogon, but he did not describe the very young stages. 



The work has been carried on under the direction of Dr. W. C. 

 Coker and I wish to express my appreciation of his suggestions, criti- 

 cisms, and revisions. He is joint author of the species here described. 

 Dr. J. B. Bullitt has been of great assistance in the micro-photo- 

 graphic work. The micro-photographs shown in plate 5 and the 

 lower one in plate 6 were made by him Avith a simplified micro-photo- 

 graphic apparatus that he designed and made. (This apparatus was 

 described by Dr. Bullitt before the 1923 meeting of the North Caro- 

 lina Academy of Science.) Dr. Bullitt has also given valuable advice 

 on other micro-photographs, and he cut and stained the material 

 shown in the upper figure of plate 5. Miss Alma Holland has inked 

 in the camera-lucida draM'ings. 



Rhizopogon parasiticus Coker and Totten n. sp. 



Fruit-body up to 1.5 cm. broad and high, though usually much 

 smaller, the great majority about 2-5 mm., sometimes almost evenly 

 globose but more often lobed and convoluted; attached at any point 

 to one or several branching, flocculent, rhizomorphous threads which 



* This paper is part of a thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of North 

 Carolina in partial fulfillment of the requirements lor the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 

 in the Dejiartment of Botany. 



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