THE DISCOMYCETES OF EASTERN IOWA. 277 



The color of these plants varies according to conditions; 

 they are generally dark red but often lighter. A piece of old 

 sacking found near the experiment station at Lafayette, Indi- 

 ana, was almost entirely covered with the plants of this 

 species. This species seems to be best adapted to old cloth, 

 especially sacking. It has also been found on heavy building 

 paper in wet places. It is easily recognized on account of its 

 red color and its habitat. The spores are arranged in two 

 rows in the ascus and are generally hyaline or sometimes 

 slightly granular. 



Genus III— R YPAROBIUS Boudier, 



Receptacle minute, fleshy, spherical or conical, then expand- 

 ed or depressed, white or whitish, externally smooth or downy. 

 Asci cylindrical or very broad and elliptical, present in small 

 numbers generally operculate, 16 to many spored. Spores 

 elliptical or fusiform, hyaline, smooth. Paraphyses slender, 

 colorless. 



Several species have been grown in the laboratory. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a — Receptacle at first conical, then cylindrical, asci 



32-spored ...... R. pelletieri. 



a — Receptacle minute, depressed. 



b — Plants scarcely visible with lens, asci few 



many spored ..... R. pachyascus. 



b — Plants larger, whitish, asci 16 to 64-spored. 



c — Asci 16-spored .... R. sexdecimsporus. 



c — Asci 64-spored .... R. crustaceus. 



Ryparobius PELLETIERI (Cr.) Sacc. 



Plate XVII fig. 



1881 Ascobolus pelletieri Phillips and Plowright, Grew , X, p. 69. 

 18cS7 Thecotheus pelletieri Phillips, Brit. Disc' p. 2 ( >7. 

 1889 Ryparobius pelletieri Saccardo, Sylloge Fung. , VIII, p. 542. 

 HS<>7 Ryparobius pelletieri Kngler-Prantl, Pflan. Famil. , I, i, p. 190. 



Gregarious or scattered, conical, then cylindrical, grey or 

 dull whitish; externally pruinose; hymenium at first slightly 

 concave, then plane or convex; asci few, large, cylindrical, 

 operculate, stipitate, 300 to 320 by 50 to 60 microns; sporidia 



