54 NATURAL HISTORY BULLETIN 



at the apex; sterile part of the receptacle composed of rather 

 loosely inter-woven hyphas. grading into pseudo-parenchyma; 

 cells large. 



Habitat — On the surface of damp soil between the tufts of 

 grass in an open place, in the margins of woods near Iowa City. 

 Plants collected from June to October. Also reported from 

 Europe. 



The specific name under which these plants are described is 

 suggested by the character of the markings of tl;e spores, which 

 are distinctly echinulate. 



The description and measurements given above were made 

 from fresh material collected at different times. Specimens pre- 

 served in alcohol vary somewhat ; the most of the color disap- 

 pears and the plants are a little contracted and the measure- 

 ments are therefore a little less. 



The plants described above were collected during the later 

 part of the month of June in the summer of 1904, in large num- 

 bers in a ravine near Iowa City and upon examination were at 

 once referred to this genus. The individuals are at first almost 

 spherical in form, smooth on the outer surface, and of a whitish 

 or lead color. As they mature, a small, brown spot is formed in 

 the center of the supper surface, the brown color gradually 

 spreading until it covers all of the exposed surface. They are 

 at first regular in outline, becoming, at maturity, irregularly con- 

 volute and more or less depressed, so that at maturity the plants 

 are roundish but more or less irregular in form, of a deep brown 

 color and with a soft velvety appearance. Examination of sec- 

 tions of young plants shows the brown spot on the upper surface 

 to be the beginning of the development of the hymenial layer and 

 the brown color and velvety appearance to be due to the large 

 paraphyses which contain brown coloring matter. 



The writer has not had opportunity to revisit the type locality 

 of this species since the original collection was made in 1904, so 

 that no statement can be made as to its reoccurrence there and 

 so far as noted it has not since been reported from this country. 

 It is interesting to note that one year after the collection of 

 this species in America it was collected in Europe and dis- 

 tributed by Dr. Rehm in his Ascomycetes. It was later col- 



