lOS 



Lafayette. October IC I'.Kir.. by Dr. J. ('. Artlini. 'I'lirei' siieciiiicns of this 

 collection have been preserved. 'J'liis is a cinumn puff-liall tm the plains 

 west of the Mississi])i)i Itiver, iuitl (iccurs also in the Kucky .Monntains and 

 on the racitic Shipe. 1 have collected it in Color.-ido west of the conti- 

 nental divide. In V.n '.) IJoyd wrote that ne had not seen spei-iniens of this 

 plant from an,\' station fariher east than ("hica,'i. 111. I'ecl<, however, in 

 liis Annual Iteport of the X. \. State Museum fiu' liol reports it from 

 Crown I'oint. .\. V. Ills spe-imtus wen' nnsatisfactoi'y and yet he con- 

 sidered them to be this species. With the exception of I'eck's New 

 York locality ours seems to be a( the eastern limit of distribution. The 

 species is not;'blc i'l the character of bi'tli peridii'ni and capillitiu.iu. Peek's 



Kieuie:;. MVCK.VASTRr.VI Sl'IXT l.( iSl M 



Showing the .stellate .splitting of the peiidium and the unequal sprcadinji of the lays. This 



specimen is 12 em. in diame'er. 



description of !lie I'eridiiun as tlii<U. lirm. and .uonrd-like is well cxjiressed. 

 as is also iiis leferem-e to th' fnrm of rn]ptnre as a stellate spiittin.u from 

 al)ove followed i)y an nne((ual s|ii'eadin.i.' and retiexini; of the rays. (See 

 Fi.u: P>). One of the siiecinie; s in orr Indiana collection was not ruptiu-eil, 

 but tile other tw(j show the iharacteristi<- form. The peridiiun is hyt^ro- 

 scoplc, which often c;iuses the rays to under,i;o siilhcient movement in result 

 in a movonieut of the wliole i»lant. The capillitium consists of sei)arate 

 threads of comi)ai atively larire diameter. Ki-TJ //, wliich are set with 

 prominent spiny i)oints. The s])ores are also larire. 1(1-12 //, sli.^ditly 

 rough, and without evident pedicels. The spore-mass is a rich chocolate- 



