54 



NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN. 



stem much thicker than the spores; spores globose or oval, 

 smooth, 4-5 ,"X 3-5-4-5 ,», long, persistent pedicels hyaline. — 

 Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. xni. p. 141. 



Rare, on the ground in pastures and open woods. Resem- 

 bles Lycoperdon but differs at sight from any of our local 

 species by its short conical stipe, solid sub-gleba and fiat or 

 depressed shallow gleba. N. A. F. 3306. 



VI. MYCENASTRU M Desv. 



Sporocarp depressed-globose, sessile mycelium-attached; 

 peridium double; the outer envelope thin, white, fragile, break- 

 ing up into squamose fragments, deciduous; inner peridium, 

 thick, tough, coriaceous, at length dividing stellately from the 

 apex and becoming reflexed as the outer in Geaster; sub-gleba 

 scant or none; gleba brown, persistent; capillitium of short, 

 thick, sparingly branched threads. 



" Puff-balls of considerable size, growing in sandy soil in 

 dry regions. A very distinct genus, in no way related to 

 Scleroderma and resembling it only in the thick, corky inner 

 peridium. The threads of the capillitium originate within the 

 tissue of the gleba, along with the spores, and are set free by 

 deliquescence as in Bovista" — Morgan 



Mycenastrum spinulosum Peck. 



Peridium globose, sessile, two or four inches in diameter, 

 thick, firm, whitish, externally cracking into rather large areas, 

 the whole brown when mature and stellately splitting from 

 above into six or seven unequal, spreading or reflexed rays- 

 capillitium and spores in mass dark-brown with a slight pur- 

 plish tinge; flocci rather short, pale, usually branched, armed 

 with scattered unequal spinules which are more numerous near 

 the acuminate extremities; spores globose, colored, minutely 

 warted, 10-12 // in diameter, 



A very curious plant, appearing first in fructification as a 

 group of solid white spheres, each three or four inches in 

 diameter. As these progress toward maturity the color 

 within becomes darker until it finally assumes a rich brown- 



