species I think) are partially persistent as pedicels. Usually these 

 pedicels are absorbed in the process of deliquescence, and it is not 

 unusual to note spores in the same specimens with varying remains 

 of the sterigmata. 



HISTORY. The genus was described and figured by Schweinitz in 1822! 

 from North America, from a single species, Arachnion album, which has since 

 proved to he of wide geographical distribution. Next, Bei keley (Hook. Jour. 1843- 

 417) described under the name Scoleciocarpus tener, a plant from South Africa, 

 which I consider the same as Arachnion album. Next Montagne in 1849 (Ann. Sci. 

 Nat. 3- 1 1-33) described Scoleciocarpus bovista from Chile. In the meantime Berke- 

 ley had discovered that his genus Scoleciocarpus was the same as Schweinitz's 

 genus Arachnion and so wrote Montagne who changed his name to Arachnion 

 bovista (Ann. Sci. Nat. 3-12-302) stating it was done on advice from Berkeley.^ 

 Next, Berkeley (Jour. Linn. Soc. 18-389) named a single specimen from Australia 

 Arachnion Dnimmondii. An examination of the above specimens convinces me 

 they do not differ enough to be kept as distinct species and I would refer them 

 all to Arachnion album. During the past summer ( 1905 ) I have received speci- 

 mens of Arachnion album from Rev. L. Badet, Salussola, Italy, which is the first 

 and only time the genus has ever been known in Europe. 



" Arachniou aurantiacum " is based on Rafinesque's ravings (Acinophora 

 aurantiaca) and is more probably a Scleroderma or a Polysaccum than an 

 Arachnion. 



Species of Arachnion. 



ARACHNION ALBUM. (Plates i6and 73). Peridium, smooth, 

 thin and fragile, never opening by a definite mouth, but breaking ir- 

 regularly, pale in color, pure white when young. Gleba composed of 

 little grains called peridioles, each consisting of a mass of spores 

 surrounded by a few, loose, hyphae threads (capillitium.) Spores 

 smooth, globose, 5-6 mic. sometimes with fragments of the persistent 

 sterigmata attached. Gleba color in the type form ash gray. 



FORMS. We do not consider that the following geographical forms merit 

 distinct names, but note all the differences that we find. 



American ( type ) form. Hyphae threads slightly colored, rarely we have 

 no*.ed colored threads. Spores rarely pedicellate. 



European form. Threads distinctly colored. Spores mostly pedicellate. 



Brazilian form. Threads very scanty. 



Australian form. (A. Drummondii.) Same as American. 



South African form (A. tener). Spores more notably pedicellate. 



Chilian form (A. bovista). Differs from others only in color of gleba, 

 which is brown not ash gray. 



Geographical Distribution. Fairly common and widely distributed in 

 North and South America. Known also from one collection each from South 

 Africa, Guadalupe and Europe (Italy), and two from Australia. 



SPECIMENS IN OUR COLLECTION. 



United States, Texas, W. H. Long, Jr., Ohio, A. P. Morgan, C. G. Lloyd, 

 Massachusetts, Geo. B. Fessenden. 

 Australia, Prof. D. McAlpine. 

 South America, Brazil, Rev. J. Rick. 

 Ecuador, From Herbarium Patouillard. 

 Europe, Italy, Rev. L. Badet. 



t Synopsis fungorum Carolinae. 



t Notwithstanding the author ol Scoleciocarpus repudiated his genus very soon after it 

 was proposed, stating it was the same as Arachnion (which it surely is, and in my opinion the 

 same species), and that all this happened more than fifty years ago, the genus Scoleciocarpus is 

 still carried in Saccardo and by Fischer in the recent Rngler and Prantl. 



253 



