spines, somewhat furfuraceous. Gleba olive then brown. Spores small, 

 5 mic., smooth or when fully ripe slightly roueh. 



This plant I have found at Eglon, West Virginia, growing on bare 

 spots in pastures. It impresses me as being a large, robust, caespitose 

 form of Turneri. In fact a number of collections have reached me that 

 I do not know whether to call large Turneri, or small, separate growing, 

 compressum.f 



SPECIMENS IN OUR COLLECTION. 



Maine, P. L. Ricker; Nczv Hampshire, Miss A'.ice Theobald; Nciv York, 

 C. S. Conkling; Minnesota, E. P. Ely; West Virginia. C. G. Lloyd; Ohio Dr. 

 H. L. True, W. C. Dawscn, C. G. Lloyd; Missouri, Dr. N. M. Glatfelter. 



LYCOPERDON MUSCORUM (Plate 67). A thick stemmed 

 form of the previous plants grows singly in moss or short grass. It 

 corresponds in shape to L. polymorphum of Europe.^ In its young 

 condition it has the same appearance as Calvatia elata but widely differs 

 in its dehiscence. The gleba when ripe is very dark brown. The spores 

 are slightly rough and not over 5 mic. in size. 



REFERENCES : This plant was called ''Lycoperdon molle, Persoon" in Peck's 

 paper, and perhaps the determination was not so far wrong. II Morgan, who 

 took his ideas of Persoon's species from Massee's erroneous spore description, 

 changed the name of Peck's plant (without seeing it) to Lycoperdon muscorum. 

 The name, I think, would have been far more appropriate to the next form, 

 which always grows in moss whilst this form is found also in short grass, and 

 similar places. 



SPECIMENS IN OUR COLLECTION. 



Massachusetts, Simon Davis; New York, Chas. Peck (Type), C. S. Conk- 

 ling; Michigan, A. L. Voiigt ; Minnesota. Minn. Bot. Survey; Mexico (old), J. N. 

 Rose. 



LYCOPERDON POLYTRICHUM* (Plate 67), A very pe- 

 culiar, slender form of the previous species grows only in hair cap moss. 

 It is unique in shape and habitat, cannot be confused with any other 

 and is always distinct, I think, from the previous form. The spores 

 ordinarily are smooth but in old, fully ripe specimens they can be seen 

 to be minutely rough under a good objective. It seems to be a rare 

 plant and seldom reaches me, but I think more collectors would find 

 it if they would hunt in patches of hair cap moss. 



t The difficulties of its classification are further enhanced by the fact that it has the same 

 cortex as umbrinum, and also by the fact that typ<cal, large-spored umbrinum specimens are 

 often yellowish. None of the specimens we have show any tint of purple in the gleba, but, 

 as we have previously stated, the purple gleba is only the final condition of umbrinum, and 

 most of the specimens we have do not show it. Hence it may develop, in the future, that 

 the gleba of compressum is really purplish, if the plants fully ripen in situ, and in that case it 

 can be considered a small-spored form of umbrinum. I think probably it is " Lycoperdon 

 molle " of Trelease's and Morgan's papers. 



} Students may think it strange that I should hold that "shape" and "size" have no 

 value whatever in umbrinum and atropurpureum, and yet form the " species" of thejspadiceum 

 section principally from these characters. The reason is that as the specimens are collected 

 all kinds of shapes and sizes are found in the same collection of the former, while in the 

 " spadiceum " section the main characters of each collection seem to be its habits and shape. 

 I am aware it may not seem very consistent, but in working with these plants we have to 

 recognize the characters we find, not what we would like to find. 



'i The only character by which we decide as to some collections, whether to call L. mus- 

 corum or L. umbrinum. 



|| Compare note t, above, which equally as well applies to this plant; also note f- page 

 209, iu reference to " Lycoperdon molle, Persoon." 



237 



