THE DISCOMYCETES OF EASTERN IOWA. 295 



1889 Bulgaria inquinans Saccardo Sylloge Fung., VIII, p. 636. 

 1897 Bulgaria inquinans Engler Prantl. Pflan. Famil. , I, p. 239. 



Caespitose, turbinate, firm, gelatinous, externally rough, 

 umber; hymenium at first concave, becoming plane, black or 

 very dark purple; asci clavate; sporidia 8, elliptic, unequal- 

 sided, often nearly pointed at one end, 10 to 14 by 5 to 6 mic- 

 rons; paraphyses filiform slender. 



Habitat — On oak logs growing from crevices in the bark; 

 Iowa City. 



Plants common forming very dark colored gelatinous masses 

 when wet, hard when dry. The cups are continued into a 

 short stem below and are at first concave opening until the 

 hymenium becomes plane, then margin becomes reflexed until 

 the hymenium at maturity, is convex often with a little depres- 

 sion in the center. The cups are more or less irregular at 

 maturity. The spores are of a dark brownish color and 

 arranged in one or two rows in the ascus. The asci are very 

 long so that the spores occupy only a small portion near its 

 end. 



Genus URNULA Fries. 



Cups stipitate, urn-shaped, at first closed, then opening by 

 a circular or stellate aperture, externally dark colored, fur- 

 furaceus or clothed with minute, dark colored hairs. Asci 

 cylindrical, 8-spored; sporidia oblong-elliptical. 



One species is common in woods in the early spring. This 

 species is included, by Engler-Prantl with the subgenus Geo- 

 pyxis. 



Urnula craterium (Schw.) Fr. 

 Plate XXV, fig. n. 



1823 Peziza craterium Fries, Syst. Myc. , II, p. 74. 



1883 Peziza craterium Ellis and Everhart, N. A. Fung., No. 982. 



L889 Urnula craterium Saccardo, Sylloge Fung., VIII, p. 549. 



1897 Pc~iza craterium (Geopyxis) Engler-Prantl. Pflan. Earn. I, p. 185. 



1 ( )02 Urnula craterium Kupfer, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, 29, p. 137. 



Large, long-stipitate, subccespitose, dark brownish black, at 

 first closed, hollow within, opening at the top by an irregular 



