Seaver : Color variation in some fungi 309 



tinctive of the species except color, which in this genus is very un- 

 certain. Several of the species belonging to the doubtful list were 

 from the notorious " B. & C." collections. In every case an 

 attempt has been made to gain access to the type specimen of such 

 species. Through the authorities of the New York Botanical Gar- 

 den we have succeeded in securing several cotype specimens from 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and here it might be well to 

 acknowledge the liberality and promptness with which such 

 requests were granted by those in charge of the Botanic Gardens 

 of England. Where specimens were too fragmentary to divide, 

 pencil sketches were carefully prepared which have aided much in 

 shedding light on some of the mysteries surrounding the group 

 under consideration, although drawings do little to clear up the 

 color question. 



Some of the doubtful species of which the cotypes have been 

 examined are Nectria Russellii B. & C, Nectria offuscata B. & C, 

 and Nectria nigrescens Cooke. The first two were originally 

 described in the following manner (Grevillea 4 : 45) : " Cespitose, 

 red inclined to brown, finally collapsing ; spores cymbiform, i-sep- 



15 to 20 mic. long," and "Cespitose, dingy red-brown, 

 minutely granulated, ostiolum depressed ; asci clavate ; spores 

 2-seriate oblong, 4 times as long as broad." In neither of these 

 descriptions is there a single character mentioned which would 



tate, 



disting 



purpurea (L.) W 



S-, when the range of coloration of this species is taken into con- 

 sideration, and a careful examination of the cotype specimens of 

 each of these species also fails to reveal any valid specific charac- 



The third of these doubtful sDecies is described (Grevillea 7 : 



ter. 



50) as follows : " Cespitose, red, at length turning black, smooth, 

 ostiolum papilliform ; asci cylindrical, spores elongated-elliptical, 

 '-septate, 18 by 6 mic; stylospores on the same stroma, some ovate 

 br own (5 by 3 mic), others linear (6 by 2 mic), hyaline." The 

 °nly character in this description which might mark a new species is 

 th e presence of the brown stylospores and there is no evidence given 

 that these are connected with this plant even though present on the 

 same stroma. Examination of a specimen of this species from 

 ew shows unmistakable evidence of age and partial decay, the 

 Penthecia are blackened and in many cases crumbled and it is dif- 



