202 Mycological Bulletin No. 51 [Vol. IV 



son. The Polypore shown on the third page is nearly as ornamental as 

 any of these species become — and the cut falls far short of doing the plant 

 justice. The ma-ras'-mi-us is perhaps one of the most common — cer- 

 tainly, most beautiful — of the hundreds of Ma-ras'-mi-i. Aside from 

 lack of natural color the half tone does not malign this interesting and 

 channing little plant. 



"QUOTATION PAGE." 



Quotation. — The phalloid, usually called stink-horn, for obvious rea- 

 sons, is so common that the item below relating to variability may well 

 receive our attention for a moment at least. The article was published in 

 the Journal of Mycology, by A. H. Christman. 



"Variab[Lity tn Our Common Species of Dictyophora. — Considerable 

 uncertainty has existed as to the identification of our common species of 

 Dictyophora. Fischer remarks that nowhere among the Phalloideae is the 

 confusion in the nomenclature so great as in the case of this genus and 

 he believes that this confusion has been brought about by the naming of 

 isolated specimens which have been given new specific names on the 

 ground of some slight lack of agreement with descriptions already given 



* * * The occurrence of this common Dictyophora — in unusual numbers 

 in the neighborhood of Madison during the summer of 190.3, made it pos- 

 sible to make some interesting observations on the variability of the charac- 

 teristic parts of the fungus. The specimens were found in the region 

 lying along the south shore of Lake Mendota and extending a mile west 

 of the city. The soil of this region is covered with a sod shaded at places 

 by growths of trees and is at other places completely open. Along a drive, 

 leading through this tract, young iorest trees had been planted from year 

 to year. There is also a plot of about four acres on the University farm 

 planted about eight years ago with various young forest trees. All of 

 these young trees had been liberally mulched yearly, from the time of plant- 

 ing, with a fertilizer composed of equal parts of shavings and dung, and it 

 was in and beneath this mulch that the fungi were most abundant. 



So numerous were the plants on the entire region that for a period of 

 six weeks specimens could be found every day. As many as two dozen 

 were often taken on a single morning. Probably as many as three hun- 

 dred specimens were handled during the season. These were examined 

 and types of all sizes and proportions were carefully measured and then 

 preserved by drying or in alcohol. When it was desired to get a series of 

 plants belonging to the same mycelium, certain clusters of the eggs were 

 marked and specimens gathered from day to day as they matured. 



In making the measurements it was aimed to secure specimens show- 

 ing all possible variations. The following table gives the dimensions of 

 twenty plants including specimens showing the extreme variations in all 

 of the characteristic parts of the plant. The specimens are arranged in the 

 table according to height. [Table omitted]. 



It will be seen that the extremely tall and extremely short .specimens 

 are not so numerous in the above table as are the more nearly average 

 ones. As these are about equally scarce also in nature the above averages 

 may safely be taken as approximately correct for all the specimens found 

 during the season. 



There is a fairly complete series from the shortest (5.6 cm.) to the 

 tallest (21.2 cm.). " Careful observations were made to determine, as 

 nearly as possible, what conditions might be responsible for the height of 

 the specimen. It was found that without exception the tall plants were 

 solitary, were taken from sod, and, in almost every case, were in a fairly 

 shaded, moist locality. Numbers 1 to fi of the table, aufl many others, were 

 found so located. The smaller specimens were found where the plants oc- 

 curred in large clusters and were often taken after several plants in the 

 cluster had matured. When a plant in the egg- stage was found on a s'lb- 

 stratum, such as the mulch already mentioned, that readily became dry, 



continued in next nump.er. 



