MYCOLOGICAL NOTES. 



BY C. G. L-L-OYD. 



No. 23. 

 , O. AUGUST, 19O6, 



THE GENUS BOVISTELLA. 



Peridium flaccid, zvith or without a sterile base, opening by a defi- 

 nite mouth. Capillitiiun of short, separate threads or long, intertwined 

 threads. Spores pedicellate. 



We would extend the limits of the genus Bovistella as above, for 

 the following reasons. When Prof. Morgan proposed the genus he 

 "knew but one species and he clearly denned it as having a sterile base 

 and short, separate capillitium threads. If we had but this one species 

 it would be easy to define our genus, but there are many related plants 

 in the world ; some agreeing in both these characters, some having only 

 one of them and others neither. The genus Bovistella shades by a con- 

 tinuous series of species into Lycoperdon on one hand and Bovista on 

 the other. 



In order to get a clear view of the group of plants that we would 

 include in the genus Bovistella, we must go back a little in our classifi- 

 cation. The largest tribe of puff balls, the Lycoperde?e, consists of un- 

 stalked plants having the gleba composed of spores and capillitium. 

 Without considering the Geastrae alliance (with which we are not now 

 concerned) the remainder of the plants can be divided into two series 

 of genera according to their habits and spore dispersion. 



First, the Bovistse, or the "tumblers" of the puff ball world, which 

 when ripe break away from their place of growth and are tumbled about 

 by the wind, dispersing their spores gradually as they roll about. These 

 plants have a form (usually globose) and a peridium (firm, cartilagi- 

 nous or hard) suitable for this method of spore dispersion. They do 

 not have sterile bases but plants intended to roll naturally would not 

 develop sterile bases which would only interfere with their rolling. 

 Bovista, Mycenastrum and Catastoma are familiar representatives of 

 these plants. 



Second, the Lycoperdse or true Puff Balls, which are just the reverse 

 of the previous tribe, do not normally break away from their place of 

 .growth when ripe, but disperse their spores by the collapsing of the 

 peridium, which hence has a nature usually much more flaccid than 

 the previous tribe. As to the sterile base, it is only a means of raising 

 the fertile portion above the surrounding growths. Species that usually 

 grow in grass or moss, normally develop strong sterile bases, and species 



277 



UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 



AT LOS ANGELES 



