MYCOLOGICAL NOTES 



BY C. G. LLOYD 



No. 19 



CINCINNATI, O. ___ MAY, 1905 



THE GENUS LYCOPERDON IN EUROPE. 



CHARACTERS : The genus Lycoperdon embraces puff-balls, 

 without a distinct stem, with flaccid peridia opening by definite 

 mouths, spores not pedicellate and mixed with capillitia. 



The peridium is flaccid and disperses the spores by collapsing 

 directly opposite to the nature of the peridia of the Bovista series. It 

 opens by a definite mouth ; those species which have peridia brittle 

 breaking away from the gleba are removed to the genus Calvatia. 



The development of the sterile base varies much in the same 

 species and is of little specific value. The cells of the sterile base are 

 usually large and evident. In one section (polymorphum) they are 

 minute. The capillitium is usually long, branched colored threads; in 

 one section (pratense) hyaline or light colored, and sometimes septate. 



The cortex or exoperidium. sometimes smooth, but usually bears 

 spines varying from minute to large. These spines are usually in fours, 

 separate at the ba?e the apices connivent. The nature of the cortex 

 is one of the best of specific characters. We present on our plates en- 

 largements (about 4 diameters) of the cortices of most of the species. 

 These figures were made from dried specimens and the cortices are 

 shriveled and not as distinct as they would be had the figures been 

 made from fresh plants. 



The color of the gleba when very young is white, as the plants 

 ripen, it turns yellowish or olive, finally brown, or in one series 

 (atropurpureum) when fully ripe it is dark purple. The spores can be 

 divided into two series. 1st. the large rough spores 5-8 mic. in diame- 

 ter ; 2nd. the medium or small spores 4-5 mic. in diameter, and smooth 

 or slightly rough. All plants with a purple gleba have large rough 

 spores. The spores are borne on the basiclia on long sterigmata. These 

 are caducous and as the spores ripen, fall away. In the series with the 

 large, rough spores the fallen pedicels remain mixed with the spores but 

 in the small spored series they largely disappear from the ripe gleba. t 



HISTORY : Linnaeus called all "puff-balls" and some that 

 are not "puff-balls" Lycoperdons.t He did not know enough mycology 

 to avail himself of Michelius' earlier and much better work with the 

 families of these plants. Persoon adopted largely the ideas of Michel- 



tWe consider pedicellate spores the best and plainest character in the puff-ball family 

 and we would class all species of the Lycoperdaceae with pedicellate spores in the genus 

 Bovistella. But one European species, which has not been so referred, Bovistella pedicellata, 

 is affected by this view. 



JA tip for the name changers. Linnaeus first called the plants Conoplea "full of dust. ' 



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