[Vol. 9 



2 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



local gatherings may eventually be made available for showing 

 distribution of the species to any one preparing a monograph of 

 the genus. 



Spore collections from the fresh specimens and record of the 

 color of spores as a check in case of fading are of the highest 

 importance for accurate determination at the time of gathering 

 or for later study by a specialist. In many species the spores, as 

 obtained from dried herbarium specimens, are unmistakably 

 hyaline as seen with the microscope, while in many other species 

 one cannot be quite sure from the microscopic examination alone 

 whether the spores might not be appreciably colored in the 

 mass, for the enormous magnification by the compound micro- 

 scope dilutes the color of the spore to the same degree in the 

 image seen. 



Of the various methods of spore collection and preservation 

 for the Clavariaceae, Thelephoraceae, Hydnaceae, Polyporaceae, 

 and Tremellac( ae, that on clean glass is preferable. Large cover 

 glasses are sometimes used, but I cut with a glass cutter discarded 

 negative plates or thin broken window panes into rectangles 

 about 2 to 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. The falling spores 

 adhere to the glass and are protected from dust by enclosure in 

 close-fitting paper envelopes. In this condition they are pre- 

 served in the envelope or packet which holds the gathering from 

 which the spore fall was saved. The color of these spores when 

 first collected should be recorded, preferably on the envelope of 

 the spore packet. In addition to showing the color of the spores, 

 such mass collections consist of mature spores of normal size 

 and form. Furthermore, a fructification which yields a copious 

 spore fall is a mature specimen worth preservation and study 

 and not one of the carelessly collected, worthless, sterile, im- 

 mature things which clutter up herbaria and waste valuable time. 



I have intentionally omitted synonymy of American species 

 except in cases where later recognized by the authors themselves 

 of species concerned. Before relegating species to synonymy, they 

 should be studied from their author's point of view and an en- 

 deavor made to find characters separating them from related 

 species. Good progress can be made by locating gatherings of 

 Clavarias among the following species whenever in close agree- 

 ment with any of them and noting cases in which the same 

 specimen agrees exactly with two or more species, for it is well 

 known that authors working independently of one another fre- 

 quently describe the same species under different names, one 



