THE DISCOMYCETES OF EASTERN IOWA. 283 



microns; paraphyses filiform, septate, imbedded in sulphur 

 yellow gelatine. 



Habitat — On old cow dung in pastures and woods, also 

 easily grown in culture. 



This is a very common species in this locality. The plants 

 are very pale in color, but when mature, the hymenium is 

 covered with small, black dots, the dots being the ends of the 

 emergent asci filled with dark co 1 ored spores. They may be 

 found growing scattered or densely crowded. 



Ascoboujs atro-fuscus Phil, and Plow. 

 Plate XV, fig. i. 



1873 Ascobolus atro-fuscus Phillips and Plowright, Grev. ,II,p. 186, pi. 24, 1. 

 1887 Ascobolus atro-fuscus Phillips, Brit. Disc, p. 291. 

 1897 Ascobolus atro-fuscus Engler-Prantl, Pflan. Famil. , I, p. 193. 

 1900 Ascobolus atro-fuscus Durand, Bull. Tor. Bot. Club, 29, p. 458. 



Sessile, crowded or scattered, brownish-black, concave or 

 plane, 2 to 8 mm. in diameter, margin crenulate, externally 

 rough; sporidia 8, elliptical, violet, then brown, externally 

 very rough with minute spicules, appearing granular 20 by 

 12 microns; paraphyses linear, surrounded by a greenish 

 yellow mucus, brown near the surface of the hymenium. 



Habitat — On burnt ground which is mixed with charcoal 

 in October; Iowa City. 



Plants found growing on hard clay soil on the bank of the 

 Iowa river, near Iowa City, where a brush-pile had been 

 burned. The plants grow scattered also densely crowded on 

 and surrounding the pieces of charcoal with which the soil is 

 mixed. They are dark brown in color and very granular on 

 the outside. The asci are slightly clavate, 8-spored, the 

 spores being rather irregularly arranged in the ascus, at first 

 violet, then brown. The paraphyses are often branched. 



This material, by the kindness of Dr. E. J. Durand, has 

 been compared with his material collected in New York and 

 reported to be the same. 



