Tune, lOOfi.l 



Mycological Bulletin Nos. .")9 and 60 



239 



NOTES ON A VERPA. 

 Edith Hyde, Lancaster, O. 



The interesting fungus siiown in Fig. 187, called by the botanists ]'crf>a 

 dii^italifoniiis, was found north of Lancaster, in a cool, moist and shady 

 ravine early in ]May. The color of its pileus, or cap, is a kind of olive- 

 uniber, while the stem is nearly white, with a very slight reddish tinge. 

 I he pileus is campanulate, or bell-shaped, ^ — ^ in. high, fitting over the 

 stem, but not attached except at the very top. Its surface has the cliar- 

 acteristic smoothness of the Vcrpas. The stem appears .'mooth to the naked 

 eye except for the few reddish rootlike shreds found at the base. It is 

 filkxl with a loosely fibrous pith. It is about 3 — 4 in. high, and one-third 

 to three-quarters ir.ch thick. 



The asci are long, regular, colorless cells, situated on the under side 

 of the cap. Each ascus produces eight spores within. Figure 1S8 shows 

 four of these asci. one of which is spontaneously breaking open at the end 

 in the characteristic manner and thus liberating the spores. The spores 

 arc elliptical ar.d almost free of the granular contents, so conspicuous in the 

 spores of some genera of fungi. 



This species is edible according to the mycophagists, and resembles 

 the Helvella in its delicacy. It is said to be on sale in the markets in Italy. 

 It was named by Persoon, an eminent European botanist, a century ago. 

 He gave it the name digitaliforniis (meaning finger) because suggestive of 

 the shape of the pileus, which fits like a thimble over the stem. The 

 j't'ncric name I'crpa (meaning a rod) was probably given to the genus 

 because of the prominence of the rod-like stem. 



This mushroom belongs to the family Hckrllaccac. This family 

 includes four important genera, which may be divided ir.to two groups. 



,a 



A^(U 



ISS. \'er'-pa pig-i-t.m.-i-f()r'-mis. a sketch of asci with spores, also paraphyses 

 higlily magnified. 



